DAVID GAIMAN
June 1933 - March 2009
David Gaiman was born in Portsmouth on 10th June 1933. He was educated at The Portsmouth Grammar School. He subsequently joined the British Army where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He returned to Portsmouth on leaving the army to work for his father in the grocery store. He didn't enjoy the job and subsequently left to start his own business.
In 1959, Mr Gaiman married the love of his life, Sheila, and on March 1st, six days before his death, celebrated 50 years of happy marriage. Mr and Mrs Gaiman were companions and business associates and traveled the world together working on humanitarian projects. They raised three beautiful and accomplished children: noted author Neil Gaiman, and executives Claire Edwards, Officer, Scientology Missions International and Lizzy Calcioli, Executive Director, Wealden House Life Improvement Centre and he will be missed by his children, children-in-law, grandchildren, sisters and many other family members and friends.
Following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Mr Gaiman and his wife, Sheila, traveled to assist children most affected, and in alliance with the Russian Academy for Medical Sciences, started delivering the Hubbard Detoxification Program to alleviate the effects of radiation on the victims.
In the years that followed, Mr Gaiman worked tirelessly to establish the program to rid sufferers from the effects of toxins, pollution and nuclear radiation in the UK, Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan and Vietnam. Following the 9/11 disaster in New York, volunteers used the groundwork established by Mr Gaiman to make the Hubbard Detoxification Program available to firemen and emergency workers harmed by the toxic effects of the explosions.
A standing-room-only memorial service was held on 11 March at Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, with family, friends and colleagues flying in from all over the world to pay their respects to one of the most noted humanitarians in our community. Attending were over 80 staff from Mr Gaiman’s vitamin manufacturing company, G&G Food Supplies, as well as staff and pupils from Greenfields School where Mr Gaiman had been a trustee since its formation in the 1980’s.
David will be most remembered for his incredible sense of humour and the feeling of wellbeing he gave to everyone with whom he came in contact.
David Bernard Gaiman
10 June 1933 –
7 March 2009
*Pictures and words reproduced by kind permission of Mr Gaiman's family.