Clem Pertus

93

The family of Clem Pertus announce his passing on Saturday, December 20, 2008, to his heavenly home, where after 28 years of separation, he will be reunited with the love of his life, Doris (Landry). Born in Poulamon, Richmond Co., on July 24, 1915, Clem is survived by his son, Wayne (Jennifer Cameron) and granddaughters, Erin, Heather and Katie; daughter, Francine and granddaughters, Dorisa and Kristine Keating; daughter, Mona (Dan Tonet) and granddaughter, Laura; his special daughter, Lisa and son, Robert (Alexis Rowe) and granddaughters, Ashley and Allie. Clem is also survived by his cherished great-grandson, Haven Postlethwaite (fondly referred to by Clemie as "Little Oscar"). Clem also leaves to mourn sisters, Lillian (the late Alphonse) Boudreau, (Petit-de-Grat); Helen (the late Maxwell) Burke; Edna (CND), Clare (Adelard) Samson, Little Anse, and sister-in-law, Jeanette (The late Alphonse) Pertus, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and cousins. Clem was predeceased by his parents, Charles Numa and Elizabeth (LeBlanc); wife, Doris (June 1980); brothers, Armand (June 2003), Alphonse (February, 2005) and Teddy (the late Mary Lou), (May 2007); sister, Clo (September 2004). Clem grew up on a prosperous farm in Poulamon, moving to Sydney in 1935 and remained a parishioner at Sacred Heart Parish for over 70 years. He was one of the longest serving members of the Knights of Columbus. He was well known to all in downtown Sydney, where he lived for 52 years. He was a skillful pool player, an avid sports fan enjoying hockey, ball games, boxing and horse races. Clem was active into his late 80's, skating regularly at the local rinks and outdoors, bicycling, cruising in his 1984 Delta Oldsmobile, which he immaculately maintained. Clem worked at the Sydney Steel Plant, Acadian Bus Lines, LeBlanc Taxi and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce., the Press Club and the Ceileigh Lounge. He managed the Vidal Hotel (Sydney), & the Barker Hotel (Moncton), After retirement in 1980, he continued active employment well into his 80's as custodian of the Bank of Commerce Building, where due to his conscientious work ethics, that sidewalk on Charlotte Street was most often the first cleared of snow. Clem's philosophy of life has always been "You rust out faster than you wear out" and reflecting on his active lifestyle and his longevity, he certainly proved this true. His greatest joy in life came from his interest in his children and grandchildren with whom he enjoyed almost daily contact. Respecting Clem's wishes, cremation has taken place. Visitation was held in T.W. Curry Parkview Chapel on Sunday, December 28 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral mass was celebrated in Sacred Heart Parish, December 29 at 10 a.m., where his 5 children escorted his remains up and down the aisle of the church. Donations may be made in Clem's memory to Lupus Society of Nova Scotia or to the IWK Health Centre Foundation, which played an integral part in the recovery of his granddaughter in 1988. The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to the staff of Cape Breton County Home Makers and Harbourstone Enhanced Care (Spanish Bay) for the absolute wonderful care that our Dad received over the past two years. In his weakened physical state, Dad was always treated with dignity, cheerfulness and respect. We sincerely thank his caregivers for their professional dedication to their tasks. God bless. Your thoughtfulness and kindness will never be forgotten. On-line condolences to:

www.mem.com or

[email protected]

Memories of my Dad by Francine

My first memories of my Dad are of him & I going for walks in the northend of Sydney. I was 4 yr. old & I used to sing all the time as we walked. When we would stop & talk to someone he knew, he would brag to them about my singing. Dad always had a way of making things sound much better than they actually were!! As a young child, I remember hearing him talk on the phone to relatives – he would make our smallest accomplishments sound like milestones in our lives – I guess it was just a father’s pride & joy in his children!!

I remember him taking us skating on outdoor ponds in the winter. He would always bring a dark chocolate bar & break it in small pieces for us to eat – to give us energy while we skated outdoors in the cold. Skating always brought him pleasure. About a year or two after Mom died, Dad started going skating regularly at Centre 200, Coxheath rink, out at the college – even going to the rink in Dominion on Sat. nights , where after skating for 2 hours, a light lunch would be served & a dance would follow. And I am sure Dad took advantage of the opportunity to have some dances with his lady skating buddies. This social interaction was fundamental in lifting his spirits & helping him move on in life, without Mom. That summer of 1980 (after Mom’s death) Dad was like a lost puppy – it was impossible to do anything to cheer him up so we were all happy that he had found an interest to keep him going. I, at times, went skating with him & to see him move around the rink, one would think he was 16 again!! He sure handled himself well on skates!! He also cherished the many friendships he shared with the skaters, in particular with Katie McCharles who always remained his dear friend – each birthday, he would receive a lovely gift from Kate – each Christmas, he would receive a lovely Poinsetta & each easter he would receive a lovely Easter Lily from Kate. These gifts would always be accompanied by a lovely card with a beautiful handwritten message, expressing the high esteem with which she thought of Dad. The family is thankful to the many friends who brightened Dad’s days.

Dad was a great hockey fan. I remember trying to study for tests & hearing the playoffs loud & clear – the small apartment where the 7 of us lived ( & where Dad lived for 52 years) didn’t allow much privacy!! In later years, Dad continued to follow hockey as he was a season seat holder at Centre 200 when the Screaming Eagles played in Sydney. Even during his illness when he was a resident at Harbourstone he seemed to be in the know as to what was happening on the hockey scene.

Dad had very strong work ethics – he would never miss work & he handled his money wisely - he supported 7 people on what he earned & Mom never worked outside the home. He always managed to take us on great summer vacations, staying in nice motels or renting nice cottages in Mira or Ironville.

Dad was a great help to Mom around the house long before it was cool for men to share household responsibilities.

Being the first girl born in our family, I was naturally “Daddy’s girl” – there really wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for me. I remember when I was in grade 11, I wanted to participate in an exchange program to Quebec, where I would stay with a French family for 2 weeks & then a girl, my age, from Quebec would come stay with my family for 2 weeks. I needed a parent to sign the application form. Mom wanted nothing to do with it – she had enough to handle raising 5 children in our small apartment ( & I do understand her point-of-view now.). But when Dad saw how much it meant to me, he signed the application form for me – that surely caused friction between Mom & Dad but like I said, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for me. That opportunity changed my life forever & Sylvie ( the girl who came to our place) has remained a family friend for life! Also, when I called home & told Dad what a nice apartment Sylvie’s parents had, Dad purchased a new carpet for my room( where Sylvie would be sleeping) & installed it before Sylvie arrived from Quebec.

Even though Dad never had a high paying job, he generously paid for 65 guests to eat at my wedding supper & gave us a cheque for $500. as a wedding gift ( back in 1981, that was quite a lot!)

Dad was always young at heart. He was 65 years old when I told him I was expecting a baby – his response was “I’m too young to be a grandfather” – from then on, he always signed cards that he sent to my girls “From Uncle Clem”

Since my Mom was not alive when my children were born, my Dad was both a grandfather & a grandmother to my girls. He left his youngest child, Robert ( who at the time was 14 yr. old) & came up to Ottawa for a month to babysat Dorisa for me while I worked at a job that would bring us home to live again in Cape Breton. Dad was 68 yr. old at the time & Dorisa was only 15 months old. It was quite the demanding job for a person of his age as Dorisa was a very active child & a free spirit as she still is today. Dad did this for me so we could move back home. Once we were established in Sydney, Dad basically visited my girls every day ( on some days, he visited more than once a day). Naturally my girls adore their grandfather & they both would brag about their grandfather’s cooking, claiming that he was the best cook ever!!

When I needed any help raising my girls, Dad was readily available to help out. He would accompany them when they went skating with the school & proudly attend any of their school concerts. Later on as they got older, Dad remained important in their lives.

All these things my dad did for me will never be forgotten. He has lived a wonderful life generously giving of his time & talents to others. My Dad was & will continue to be an inspiration to me & to my girls always!!!

With all my love, Francine

The family would like to publicly thank all those health care workers who looked after Dad’s needs over the past 2 years. He received absolute wonderful care!!! In his weakened physical state, Dad was always treated with dignity, cheerfulness & respect. We sincerely thank his caregivers for their compassion & for their professional dedication to their tasks. Your thoughtfulness & kindness will never be forgotten. God bless you all.