Clifford CHAMBERS

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CHAMBERS: The family sadly announces that Clifford Chambers passed away peacefully at Fairview Personal Care Home on Thursday, March 28th, 2013 with his beloved wife Alice and his daughter Darlene by his side. Clifford was born in Yorkshire England on May 22, 1921. At the young age of four, Dad travelled to Canada by boat with his parents, Joseph and Mary Chambers along with his brothers Lawrence and Sidney, and sister Olive with the hope of a greater life here in Canada. They originally settled in the Orangeville district and then later to a farm in the Pine Creek area in Manitoba. Dad joined the army in 1942 and due to being ill with rheumatic fever was honorably discharged several months later, which was a huge disappointment as he wanted to see service overseas in England where he was born. Dad met the love of his life, Alice Anderson in 1946 and he and Mom were married on January 22, 1947. Dad and Mom farmed in the Pine Creek area in the early years of their marriage and later Dad worked at Campbell Soup Company in Portage la Prairie until his retirement. In 1962 they moved to Austin and lived there until they moved to Brandon in 2000. In his younger years, Dad was an avid curler and Mom and the older kids would go to the rink to watch him. He loved the outdoors and loved to hunt, fish, and especially camping. Every summer, Dad and Mom would load four or five kids in the car and travel west, camping in a tent throughout the mountains for three weeks at a time. We as a family were able to experience the exquisite beauty and peaceful wonderment of nature in Banff, Jasper and the Rocky Mountains before they became commercialized. As kids we all remember the fun times, eating in the cook kitchens in Banff, watching the bears and mountain goats, setting the tent up in the rain, making snowballs in July high up in the mountains, stopping at the Calgary Stampede for a few days every year as we travelled west, picking fruit in the Okanagan Valley, walking the paths in Stanley Park, visiting so many museums and places of interest throughout Canada and the United States. Much to Mom's dismay at times, Dad loved to travel the back roads in the other provinces in order to see absolutely everything. Mom and Dad also made two trips up the Alaska Highway in their camper van to Alaska and the Northwest Territories. Expo in Vancouver was a wonderful trip for them as well as the trip to Niagara Falls. In 1987, Mom and Dad were thrilled to spend a month in England and Scotland, seeing the sights of London and staying with his cousin Nellie Thornton and her family in Yorkshire, visiting the place where he was born and where his parents and relatives lived. A few years later, Dad and Mom took a second trip to England, taking in even more sights and visiting with Nellie and other family members. Dad certainly enjoyed the English fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. In June of 2006, we celebrated Dad and Mom's upcoming 60th wedding anniversary with a huge family reunion in which all of their children attended along with most grandchildren and great grandchildren. Dad loved his seven children dearly and was a wonderful grandpa to sixteen grandchildren and a great grandpa to 30 great grandchildren. In Austin, Dad took great pride in his yard and garden and produced a great garden every year. His raspberries bushes and fruit trees always did so well. Dad spent hundreds of hours riding his motorcycle, his snowmobiles and his four wheeler with his family and friends. He even rode his snowmobile and four wheeler until 87 years of age. He was one of the original founders of the Austin Snowmobile Club, was very active in the Canadian Order of Foresters and the Austin Leisure Centre. He loved his life in a small town and was very mechanically inclined so many brought their rototillers and lawn mowers to him to be repaired. Dad could fix anything. Dad also restored a couple of antique Model T's and loved scouting the countryside looking for parts. Upon retirement Dad worked helping a farmer in the spring and fall and later with a potato farmer driving a truck. He spent his retirement helping his kids with various projects, gardening, travelling and woodworking in his shop. He enjoyed making lawn furniture, log cabin clocks, fern stands, wheel planters, etc. In 2000, Dad and Mom decided it was time to move to Brandon to be closer to good medical care and to get away from the hard work of taking care of a large yard. They enjoyed their apartment and living at Lion's Manor where they made many new friends and were able to take part in the many activities there. Dad enjoyed the bean ball toss and shuffleboard tournaments, the pancake breakfasts, the Wednesday noon meals, the Friday dinner and dances and especially playing whist and cribbage a couple of nights a week. In July of 2012, Dad and Mom moved into Fairview Personal Care Home where he no longer had to do household chores and could let someone else do all of the work. Special thanks to the staff of Fairview Home for the loving care that they gave Dad. Clifford is lovingly remembered by Alice, his loving wife of 66 years and his children: Gary (Rita); Gayle (Paul Ham); Merlin (Debbie); Darlene (Ken North); Doug (Melody); Joann (Grant Calvert). He leaves to cherish his memory: sixteen grandchildren and thirty great grandchildren. Also surviving are sisters in law Rosnah Chambers, Nellie Nelson, June Smith and brother in law Melford Smith. He was predeceased by his son Rick; parents Joseph and Mary Chambers; his brothers Sidney and Lawrence and his sister Olive; parents in law Charlie and Alma Anderson; brothers in law Carl Anderson, Norman Schneider, Jack Nelson and Nick Kowalchuk; sisters in law Ruth Hanna and Ella Kowalchuk as well as several aunts and uncles. In keeping with Dad's wishes, a private family graveside service and interment will be held in July, 2013 at the Austin Cemetery. Flowers are gratefully declined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association, A1-800 Rosser Avenue, Brandon, MB, R7A 6N5. Clarke’s Funeral Home, MacGregor in care of arrangements.www.clarkesfuneralhome.com

As published in Brandon Sun on Apr 06, 2013