diff --git a/src/db/dbContext.cpp b/src/db/dbContext.cpp
index 44e25d406..307d86c3f 100644
--- a/src/db/dbContext.cpp
+++ b/src/db/dbContext.cpp
@@ -311,6 +311,8 @@ void dbContext::ioCancel (
         dbSubscriptionIO *pSIO = pIO->isSubscription ();
         if ( pSIO ) {
             chan.dbContextPrivateListOfIO::eventq.remove ( *pSIO );
+            pSIO->unsubscribe ( guard );
+            pSIO->channelDeleteException ( guard );
             pSIO->destructor ( guard );
             this->dbSubscriptionIOFreeList.release ( pSIO );
         }
diff --git a/src/db/dbSubscriptionIO.cpp b/src/db/dbSubscriptionIO.cpp
index 79c81ce7c..038bda1ea 100644
--- a/src/db/dbSubscriptionIO.cpp
+++ b/src/db/dbSubscriptionIO.cpp
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ dbSubscriptionIO::~dbSubscriptionIO ()
 void dbSubscriptionIO::destructor ( epicsGuard < epicsMutex > & guard )
 {
     guard.assertIdenticalMutex ( this->mutex );
-    this->unsubscribe ( guard );
     this->~dbSubscriptionIO ();
 }