David Ide went to be with the Lord on Friday 12 June. David was born into a difficult family situation with an absent father. His family were also Exclusive Brethren and, as a young man, he and a number of others left. These trials all inflicted painful wounds. Yet David’s faith was resilient, and these early experiences created a deep humanity.
David married Marion and they had two children, Julian and Joanne. He then made a successful career in building. Indeed, for a while, David’s office was a Rolls Royce. Yet over time he became more interested in Christian work. He was very involved in setting up Friends International, and he and Marion entertained up to 100 students at a time at their home.
David took a particular interest in Eastern Europe which led to some ‘buccaneering’ visits. On one occasion David took £20,000 in cash with him for humanitarian aid and was detained at Kiev. Airport officials accused him of being a spy. After being cross-questioned, in exasperation David said: ‘Yes, I am’. The policemen laughed and let him go. David visited Serbia many times to help set up a seminary there, and he was also deeply involved in Macedonia. Many of his activities were linked with a church in Mallorca which became a great retreat for him after the loss of his wife.
