David Edward Carey died on February 5, 2017, at Brooks-Howell Home, Asheville, North Carolina, at the age of 103. He was born November 4, 1913, on Carey Island off the coast of Malaysia. Dave’s parents had migrated from England to help an uncle who owned a rubber plantation. At age six he was sent to boarding school in England. His family subsequently moved to Vancouver where Dave finished high school and attended the University of British Columbia. There he represented Canada on its national rugby and cricket teams and graduated as president of the student body. He went on to Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar to examine Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. His studies were cut short by World War II and he returned to Canada. During and after World War II Dave spent the majority of his career working in public relations with the international organization Moral Re-Armament (MRA). Initially, their work in Europe was focused on bringing reconciliation and reconstruction. After the war MRA worked on every continent to bring lasting peace and purpose to organizations, businesses, and government bodies. Later he was Director of Public Relations for the musical show and educational organization, Up With People. Following the death of his first wife, Naomi, in 1978, Dave retired and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. There he met and married Peg, who has been by his side for the past 37 years. While in Knoxville, Dave wrote a book called 100 Decisive Events in History, which he recorded for the local public television station in Knoxville and taught as a non-credit course at the University of Tennessee and later at the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA). In 1983, Dave and Peg moved to Asheville where he soon became involved in many volunteer activities. Among other contributions, Dave was a founder of and long time mediator at the Asheville Mediation Center, and he was a founder of the Western North Carolina World Affairs Council. Also he was a founder and lecturer at the UNCA College for Seniors, and he volunteered regularly at Mission Hospital and hospice. In 1978 he resumed playing tennis, a game he had loved as a younger man, and competed in his first senior tournament. Over his 30-year career as a senior tennis player, Dave won numerous national age-group tournaments, represented the U.S. in international competition and made a guest appearance at the U.S. Open with three other senior tennis players. He was nationally ranked in the 80, 85 and 90 age brackets and Number 1 in the world in singles in the 85 age bracket. He is a member of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, the Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, and the University of British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame. His first love was his weekly match with the tennis group at Aston Park in Asheville where Court 6 is named the Dave Carey Court in honor of his contribution to the local tennis community. He participated in the Asheville City Tennis Tournament from 1983 to 2013. His many trophies reflect his involvement in state, regional, national, and international competition. Dave is survived by his wife, Peggie Lambert Carey; his son, Peter Carey, of St. Louis; his daughter, Susan Hunt, of Woodburn, Oregon; his stepdaughter, Debbee Sharpe of Flower Mound, Texas; his stepdaughter, Dianne Sharpe of Leicester, North Carolina; as well as six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Dave's life will be honored with a memorial service on Saturday, April 1 at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, Asheville. And also in honor of Dave, there will be a public showing of the new full length documentary movie “Gold Balls” about senior tennis on Thursday, March 30 at the Fine Arts Theatre, Asheville (see website for details). In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Asheville Tennis Association (P.O. Box 514, Asheville, NC 28802) or Grace Episcopal Church or a charity of your choice. Dave's outlook on life was captured in his favorite saying "The best is yet to come." Surely his spirit is rejoicing now!

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