David George Roche

PUBLIC VISITATION at Devlin Funeral Home 579 Seaview Rd, Gibsons BC

MONDAY JUNE 1st ~  2pm - 5pm, TUESDAY JUNE 2nd,  ~  2pm-5pm,  WEDNESDAY JUNE 3rd  ~ 2pm-5pm and THURSDAY JUNE 4th  ~ 2pm - 5pm    

David George Roche 

January 9, 1944 – May 27, 2026

David George Roche, age 82, died on May 27, 2026, following surgical complications. He was a father, husband and community builder who was beloved by all who knew him. 

Born with a facial difference, he called himself an “inspirational humorist.” He was a keynote speaker, solo performer, storyteller, storytelling coach, an actor, filmmaker, author, and pioneering voice for people with facial differences and disability culture. Through storytelling, comedy, and public speaking, he challenged ableism and championed acceptance, inclusion, and dignity. David recognized that everyone feels disfigured in some way and he taught people from all walks of life how to find their inner beauty. 

In 2022 David was appointed to the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor, for his pioneering contributions to disability art and culture and for promoting acceptance, inclusion, and diversity across Canada and the United States.

He wanted to be remembered for cheerleading others and that his tombstone should read, “He encouraged.”

David was born on January 9, 1944, in Hammond, Indiana, the eldest of seven children in an Irish Catholic family. He grew up shaped by the rhythms of a large family, sixteen years of Roman Catholic education, and four years spent studying for priesthood at Saint Lawrence Seminary in Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, from St. Joseph's College, Indiana.

He was born with a vascular malformation on the left side of his face and neck — a tangle of swollen blood vessels that marked him visibly from his first day of life. As an infant, doctors wrongly believed his condition was cancerous, and he underwent surgeries and heavy radiation therapy that left further physical traces: burns on his temple and eyelid, and his lower lip was removed at fifteen months old. He carried these marks for 82 years with grace, humor, and a hard-won insistence that what the world calls disfigurement can also be a gift.

He spent much of his adult life in California, where he co-founded the Childcare Switchboard/Single Parent Resource Center, which became a national model, and helped establish a massage therapy internship program at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He and his wife, Marlena, established the first massage therapy program in a U.S. hospital, at Pacific Presbyterian. 

Eventually, he moved to Roberts Creek, British Columbia, on Canada’s beautiful Sunshine Coast — living in a co-housing community where, as he once put it, “people see each other as human beings.” He had lived there for close to 20 years at the time of his passing.

After removing himself from a 12-year period as a “cadre” in the Democratic Workers Party, and getting sober with the help of AA, David got into stand-up comedy. He started speaking about his face on stage and this eventually led him into his calling as an inspirational humourist.

He performed everywhere from the Clinton White House to the Kennedy Center, from the Sydney Olympics Arts Festival to schools on every coast. He toured his signature one-person show across the United States, Canada, England, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia.

This signature work, The Church of 80% Sincerity, began as a solo theater piece in the San Francisco Bay Area and grew into a movement. Author Anne Lamott, who wrote about David in her bestseller Plan B, said of him: “He built a church inside of himself. There is no physical church, but his own life.”

In 2008, The Church of 80% Sincerity was published as his first book. In 2024, his second collection of essays, Standing at the Back Door of Happiness: And How I Unlocked It, was released by Harbour Publishing. Written in his signature “mishmash of stories, essays, memoirettes, letters,” it traced his journey from a “seriously Catholic” childhood, through twelve years of devotion to the Democratic Workers Party, to the dissolution of that organization, to finding his life’s calling. Anne Lamott called it “brilliant, illuminated, painful, wise, encouraging, and funny.”

He appeared in four films. He was featured in Shameless: The Art of Disability, a National Film Board of Canada documentary by Bonnie Sherr Klein. He played Otis in Happy Face, a 2019 film screened at the Slamdance Film Festival, whose entire cast was composed of people with facial differences.

He and his wife, Marlena, created David’s favourite work of all, Love at Second Sight, an educational video and live performance about difference, belonging, judgment, and inclusion, told through the story of how they met and fell in love. The live performance toured to more than 250 schools across Canada and the United States, and the educational video continues to be available free of charge at loveatsecondsight.org 

David’s daughter Amy was a huge part of his life. Born in Oak Park, Illinois to David and his first wife, Joan Gardner, they had many adventures together. One of David’s favourite memories was their time camping in the Sierra Nevada foothills and frolicking in the Yuba River.

David's wife of 30 years, Marlena Blavin, was his partner in every sense: in life, in performance, and in the work of changing how young people see themselves and each other. According to Marlena, they were “two sleeping beauties who woke each other up.” 

He served on the board of the Association for Theatre and Accessibility, as president of the Board of Directors of the KickstART Society for Disability Arts and Culture in Vancouver, and helped establish the monthly “Creative in the Creek” events at the Gumboot Café on the Sunshine Coast, initially to keep his own stage skills sharp, and ultimately to give others a place to shine.

Whether facilitating grief groups, leading writing groups, supporting overdose awareness efforts, championing disability rights, or simply calling a friend to say, “I love you,” he offered endless love and encouragement. Friends remember David as deeply kind, encouraging, and joyfully authentic—a man who made people laugh, feel seen, and believe more fully in themselves. On the Sunshine Coast, he was known for his radiant presence, love of music, and spirited dancing at local events. He was a mentor, advocate, and cherished friend whose life touched countless others. 

David savoured the recognition that came with receiving the Order of Canada. The recognition meant a great deal to him, not for the prestige, but because it officially, nationally, named what he had always believed: that the art of disability was art, full stop. That people who live differently have something essential to say.

David believed that your shadow side — your difficulty, your wound, your most visible vulnerability — is also the source of your deepest gift. He believed that 80% sincerity was not a compromise; it was liberation. He believed that scars are the adopted children in the family of flesh, and that they are about healing. He believed that if you stay alert, good things happen, and when God opens the door, jam your foot in it before it closes. David had his own philosophy in life that he called his “Holy Trinity,” which helped him stay connected and healthy: Nature, Loving Community, and Creativity.

Above all, David's life was a testament to authenticity. He showed that vulnerability can be strength, that humour can heal, and that leading with love can change the world.

He leaves behind his beloved wife, Marlena Blavin; darling daughter, Amy Roche and grand-dog, Nino; siblings, Patrick Roche, Michael Roche and his wife, Pam Roche, and Teresa Roche and her husband, David Monahan; his goddaughter and niece, Kai Monahan; niece Sarah Roche McDonald; nephews Scot, Eric, Paul, Jeffrey, and Steven Roche; former wife, Joan Gardner and her wife, Jerilyn Praul; and a wide circle of friends, artists, advocates, and community members who will carry his legacy forward with love and gratitude.

He was preceded in death by parents, George and Virginia Roche and his siblings, Craig, Kathleen, and Kevin Roche.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date. When details are announced, we will welcome people who wish to share stories, jokes, music, or other tributes in David's honour. The celebration will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.

While flowers are always delightful, David’s family invites donations to be made in his honour to the Children’s Craniofacial Association. David was very active with this organization which eventually created an annual award in his honour: The David Roche Award for Excellence in Advocacy. Go to ccakids.org and click the “Donate” button near the top right corner.

***If you would like to make a contribution in lieu of flowers, please go to the following link to donate to the Children's Craniofacial Association. David was very active with this organization and they created an annual award called The David Roche Award for Excellence in Advocacy.

https://ccakids.networkforgood.com/projects/237622-home-page-donations

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of David George Roche, please visit our floral store.