Obituary of David Lubell
January 22, 1942 – September 3, 2025
David passed away peacefully at Waterloo Regional Health Network Chicopee (formerly Grand River Hospital Freeport Campus) on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at the age of 83.
He is survived by his wife Mary Jackes, his children Anne Elizabeth Vo Lubell, Christopher Tran Lubell and Claire Megan Lubell, his grandson Kai Elliott Niker-Lubell, his daughters’ partners Jordan Paul Marsh and Giscard Niker de Toki and his brother Stephen Lubell.
David was predeceased by his parents Cecil Lubell and Winifred Milius Lubell.
David was born in Boston, Mass., and grew up in Croton on Hudson, NY. He was educated there and at Columbia University (B.A. 1964). After a brief period of working in publishing in Philadelphia, he decided to devote himself to prehistoric archaeology. He received his PhD from Columbia for a thesis on Late Palaeolithic material from Upper Egypt (1971).
In 1969 David began teaching in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. His initial work was in Turkey and Syria (1963-64), Egypt (1966-67) and Afghanistan (1970), but he was fascinated by certain aspects of Algerian archaeology during the period from about 9,000 to 7,000 years ago. From then on he concentrated on the Western Mediterranean Mesolithic period, just before the beginnings of an agricultural way of life. Although still interested in Algeria, where he had excavated for several years from 1972, political difficulties after his last work there in 1979, led him to work in Portugal from 1983.
David was a well-regarded academic and involved in many aspects of university life and the world of archaeology. Besides his research publications he was, for example, editor for many years of Nyame Akuma, a publication on African archaeology. He was on the editorial board of The African Archaeological Review and he remained involved in a committee helping African archaeologists until very recently. Over the years, he was also on the editorial board of Mesolithic Miscellany which dealt with European archaeology (he did some work in Italy and Spain, as well as in Portugal). Until his work was interrupted by Covid and his cancer diagnosis three years ago, he was still involved in archaeology, with Visiting Scholar positions at St. John’s College and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge in 2019.
David was very well established in Edmonton, raising a family there and becoming a Canadian. But after being Chair of Anthropology for ten years (elected for three terms), he retired from the University of Alberta and moved to Waterloo in September 2005 where he taught as an adjunct professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Waterloo.
From a young age, building on his upbringing, David was very committed to social justice. He was very involved in Fair Vote Canada and had executive positions in local chapters of both Amnesty International and the Council of Canadians. He also actively supported the Waterloo Region Health Coalition and served on the City of Waterloo Municipal Heritage Committee.
David was an adventurer and travelled widely in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Australia. He was an expert handyman and cook and an animal lover, especially of cats. He also loved things French and Portuguese and had become fascinated with visiting the UK, where his father was born and his brother and cousins live. David inspired his children with his love of food, travel and an orientation towards problem-solving, things they carry with them today.
Special thanks to the doctors and nurses in the WRHN Cancer Centre and Grand River Hospital and the Palliative Care Unit at WRHN Chicopee.
At David’s request, there will be no visitation or service. Cremation has taken place.
In lieu of flowers, condolences for David’s family and donations to UNICEF or Doctors without Borders may be arranged through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home at 519-745-8445 or at www.erbgood.com.