January 18, 1942 – May 26, 2024
at the age of 82 years:     

Clayton passed away peacefully at Hillside Village in Salmon Arm after battling Parkinsons disease and Lewy body Dementia.

Clayton is survived by his daughter Stacie, sons Stephen, Stuart (Rick) Stanely, stepsons, son-in-law Kam (Thirza), grandchildren and great grandchildren as well as his brothers, Wendel, Ronald (Christine), Douglas, nieces, nephews and many friends.

He was predeceased by his wife Heather, his nephew Bradley, his daughter Lori, his parents Earl and Violet as well as his sisters-in-law Donna and Diana.

He is fondly remembered by his dear friend Dorothy who was a great comfort to him after his wife of 53 years, Heather passed away in 2020.

Clayton was born in Vancouver and spent his youth and teen years in Langley BC attending Milner Elementary and Langley High School.

He went on to VVC in the Diesel Mechanics course where he then went to work as a Marine Engineer. He worked on fishing boats on the East Coast of Canada, White Pass in the Yukon, Albion Ferry, then Sea Span tugs.

Clayton retired from Sea Span as a Chief Engineer. Along with his wife Heather owned a small corner grocery store in Abbotsford from 1979 – 1984. He raised his family in Abbotsford and Maple Ridge BC.

He retired in White Lake BC where Clayton and Heather lived out their happiest years. He loved fishing and relaxing on the Lake as well as volunteering with the White Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

Clayton will be remembered as Gumpy to his grandchildren. He will be remembered for his cheeky sense of humor and that “twinkle” in his eye when he was about to say something quite funny or come up with an idea for an invention or a prank to pull on his wife.

He was quite artistic. He made pieces of furniture, tied his own fishing flies and made toys for the grandchildren. He welcomed one on one chats quite often accompanied by a beer or a sip of his favorite scotch. He will also be fondly remembered for whistling “A Teddy Bear’s Picnic” when he was out in the yard or his workshop.

The last four years it was hard to watch my dad, who was always so strong and clever deteriorate the way he did. But I wouldn’t trade that time with him for anything. Our trip to the Yukon – fulfilling a bucket list trip for Dad as he was a huge fan of the show Gold Rush was something I will cherish for the rest of my life. ~ Stacie

Thank you to the staff at Hillside Village for your compassionate care and patience with Clayton in his final days. Thank you to Dr. Attie Heunis for your kind and patient care of our Dad, you went above and beyond for him.