David Peace (1947–2021)

It is with great sadness that St Catharine’s College has learnt that David Peace, alumnus and Fellow Commoner of the College, died on 8 December 2021. The College flag will be flown at half-mast in his memory on 10 December 2021.

David was admitted to St Catharine’s as a Classics undergraduate in 1966. His teaching career took him to Libya and Saudi Arabia, before he returned to the UK to work in management development roles at British Aerospace and Tarmac plc. He was elected a Fellow Commoner in 2014, and served as both Secretary and President of the St Catharine’s College Society.

From April 2020, David wrote frankly on his blog (deardavid.co.uk) about the reality of living with motor neurone disease (MND) and his end of life plans. The David Peace Fund was established in his honour to fundraise for MND research and has so far raised in excess of £23,000.

Professor Sir Mark Welland, Master of St Catharine’s, commented, “I have enormous admiration for the dignity and courage with which David lived the final years of his life, and the care he took to prepare his friends for when this day would come. It is still incredibly sad to lose such a valued member of the St Catharine’s community. While we mourn his loss, we are incredibly fortunate to have known David and benefited from his support over the last 55 years.”

The College's intention is to find a way to mark David's contributions to our community in the New Year. Further details will be added to this page in the coming days.

The David Peace Fund continues to operate if anyone wishes to give. Alternatively, Direct Debits set up for the MND Association can be recorded as part of the Fund.