Clifford Melville Alguire

Dad was born and raised on the family farm at Ashville, MB, one of eight children. He grew up in a loving, close family and his young years were spent helping on the farm. He married Elsie Hamilton and they lived in Sifton and Dauphin during the early years of their marriage when Hugh, Sharan, Inez and Cathy were born.

Dad worked on the Mid-Canada Radar Site and heard about the ore discovery in Thompson. He moved his family north and worked for International Nickel from 1958 to 1983 in the Safety Department. Candace and Kevin were born in Thompson and those years were busy, but full of fun.

Dad always had a story or joke to tell and he loved to sing. He always woke up whistling or singing a song, usually an old hymn or a country song. Dad loved to curl, square dance, fish and golf, but his happiest times were when he was around his family and any friends they invited over or wanted to bring to the lake. Paint Lake was our summer oasis and Dad loved it at our log cabin. After retirement, many happy times were spent in Winnipeg, Gilbert Plains, Weslaco, Texas and Clear Lake.

Dad will be especially remembered for his smile, hugs and his favourite saying “You always have to have a little fun”. Dad was a great husband, dad, grandpa and uncle to all of us. He will be greatly missed.

This story is about Dad and his great joy for life.

One of Dad’s favourite songs was “You are My Sunshine”. He sang that song at home while he was brushing his teeth, in the hospital, and in the care home. I am going to change the words a bit ….

“Dad, you are our sunshine

Our greatest sunshine

You make us happy

When skies are grey

I think you know Dad

How much we love you

Your sunshine is here to stay"

None of these words is in the past tense – because the sunshine Dad displayed in his life is all around us – it is in everyone who knew him – when we think of Dad it will always be with a smile on our face. We will continue to tell his jokes and sing the song he taught us when we were kids called, “There was a little man”. When we think of him, it will be of someone who is respected, sociable and kind to everyone. We will think of him when we are playing cards, when we see a beautiful sunset, when we are alone. We will think of the great joy he had for life and how he touched the hearts of complete strangers – how he loved children, how he loved animals, how he loved flowers. When we have a hard time, we will think of the sunshine and fun he gave to all of us. Dad was always smiling as he whistled, sang, yodelled, played the harmonica, golfed, fished, curled – in other words enjoyed himself no matter what he did. Life was not always easy raising six kids living up north, but Dad and Mom never complained and made sure we were always loved and cared for.

This story epitomizes Dad’s nature….We had a dog named Fritz who Dad loved. When he came home from work, Dad would wind up this mechanical mouse and the dog would start barking and chasing it around the kitchen and under the table. Mom would be trying to get dinner ready for six kids and she would say, “Clifford, can you please stop that”. He would reply “Yes, Dearie”, “Whatever you say Dearie”, and just continue on with a smile on his face. Mom never seemed to get that angry at him though. If it wasn’t the dog he was playing with, it would be one of us kids he would be playing tricks on or saying “Hey did you hear the latest?”

The one thing Dad loved was a celebration of any kind, and that is why we are celebrating a wonderful life of someone who enjoyed everything to the fullest. Dad, we love you and we will always feel your sunshine.

“Those we love don’t go away

They walk beside us every day

Unseen, unheard, but always near

Still loved and missed and always dear.”

~ Love, Sharan

We always looked forward to when Cliff and Elsie would visit. One time Cliff and I went for a long bike ride around Moose Jaw just ahead of a big Thanksgiving dinner. After riding for a while we decided we needed to stop for a drink and since we stopped we might as well have some french fries too! We decided it was best not tell anyone about our snack or we might get scolded. So when we got home, Cliff and I really talked up how hungry we were and continued to play that up throughout the meal, getting as much fun out of it as we could. Cliff was always just fun to be around! I went along with Cliff when he visited Inco in Thompson about a year after he retired. The whole Inco operation literally closed down as we walked around and people came over to say hello. There was no doubt how widely liked and respected he was and I realized I was accompanying a VIP!

Cliff had amazing hand and eye coordination and was very competitive whether he was golfing or playing ping pong, shuffle, crokinole or cards. However his hand and eye coordination did not carry over to games like Pictionary where he would go into great detail drawing irrelevant parts of the picture he was trying to draw. But inevitably there would be many, many laughs and a great time around the kitchen table! I had a lot of golf games together with Cliff no doubt getting the better score, except once, but I won’t talk about that.

When out for a walk, Cliff would smile and say a hello to everyone he met, greeting them like a best friend even though he had never met them. One of the things he liked doing was driving around the car lots and looking at all the new vehicles. He definitely had a weakness for vehicles and probably would have liked to get a new one every year. A few years ago when we bought a new van, I told him it was newer than his but ours didn’t have as many options. Cliff was always one of my favorite people.

~ Rick

Dad could make anyone smile. He loved being with people whether friend or stranger and would strike up a conversation with anyone. Making someone laugh or smile always brought him joy. You had to watch out for practical jokes when he was around. We would sometimes play a friendly game of Pictionary when Mom and Dad came to visit. Dad wasn’t the greatest artist but he had his standard drawings. If his teammates weren’t guessing the word fast enough, he would sometimes engage in a little light-hearted cheating and write the word on his paper beside his picture. Inevitably someone would start to giggle and, knowing Dad, we would all know what had happened and would have a good laugh.

Dad loved food. He would often say, “Do you eat to live or do you live to eat?” For him, I think it was mostly the latter. You could always count on Dad to finish up the left-overs. Whenever we went on a car trip we wouldn’t be far along before we would hear dad say, “Do we have anything along to eat?” And, of course, Mom would have packed a delicious home-made lunch.

Dad was a courageous man. Many times he put his own safety on the line for someone else. Whether it was rushing into a burning building, plunging into dangerous water or attending an accident scene, Dad wouldn’t hesitate to help someone in trouble. Even with the little things, I can remember as a kid having a bad cold or other illness and Dad would say, “Just give me that darn cold and I’ll get rid of it for you.”

Dad had a joyful spirit and a genuine love of life. I have many fond memories of fun family times. Dad was always at the centre of that fun. We will surely miss him but I hope to carry with me a part of his joy for life.

~ Candace

Dad was a wonderful dad. He was always up for fun and games and loved to play cards. We used to play a rowdy game called PIT and the bull and bear cards were not desirable so he would throw those cards under the table and pretend he hadn’t been dealt them and then laugh and protest his innocence when he was found out. Crib, Shangai, 500, even snap and war – he would play cards with anyone. Dad was also a crack shot at crokinole and many a game was played at the lake with his family. Through every game we played, he would laugh and chuckle at something, and, of course, ask what there was to eat. We will certainly miss him when the games begin and the cards are dealt, but will take comfort in great memories and the legacy of togetherness of family and friends he has left us. We love you Dad.

~ Inez

Dad has given us all many memorable moments which we will always remember, especially those where his unique brand of humour made us happy.

His wit was his strength. Quick, sharp remarks in response to another person's comments were always funny. He was once asked, in a very serious way, why his body was almost hairless while his twin, Stan, had plenty of hair. Within a second Dad said that "Stan went first and took it all with him!"

Practical jokes, whether played by him or on him were always a big laugh. When a neighbour (very close friend) was asked to buy a bottle of scotch for Dad, he thought he would play a little trick and switch the bottle of booze for a bottle of tea! The neighbour then forgot he had done so. To make matters worse Dad did not drink scotch and therefore it was only served to guests. When the neighbour finally remembered and confessed they had a great time recalling who Dad had served his 'scotch' to. It was treated as a big joke with plenty of laughter.

Riddles and special jokes for the young ones were common. All his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren all know when meat was the highest or what goes up and down but never touches sky or ground.

Humour is healthy and Dad made sure there was plenty around. Thanks Dad.

~ Hugh

On Cliff and Elsie’s first trip to Australia, with Kevin age 12, Hugh and I arranged a road trip to the Pilbara of Western Australia with my parents and sister. As a group of eight people with a convoy of two cars, a trailer and an assortment of camping equipment we ‘roughed it' in the outback. It took me by surprise that Cliff, used to Thompson winters, found camping in Dalwallinu too cold for his liking – on the first morning it was 5 degrees and we woke to the sound of a crackling fire – Cliff had gone fossicking for wood and had lit the biggest bonfire I had ever seen. Our trip included a stop over at the coastal town of Carnarvon, where Hugh and I had worked at the local secondary school for a number of years. I had promised Cliff a feed of locally caught prawns. Much to his surprise, the prawns came in a shell that had to be removed! Game to try anything once, he dutifully shelled a great heap of prawns for our dinner but with good humour grumbled that a future shelling prawns was not for him … he talked about those prawns for years!

~ Lynne

Father-in-law is a term rendered useless by Cliff. As he always said, “I am Dad… just Dad.” Show me a person that did not love Dad and I will guarantee that person is void of feeling. I pray that when my time comes, that I will be remembered as he is remembered. That my grandchildren will laugh, not cry for me; that friends will have an extra beer and reminisce about the great times, not the sad times. That my children will want to model my good points because they were so dominant they cannot see my human frailties. Isn’t it wonderful we are able to say proudly, “That man, He was MY DAD!”

We will miss you Dad, but your teachings will be passed on and so you will always be alive in our hearts and minds…………….Don

This is a reflection of Grampa on behalf of the Kirwan grandchildren. We just wanted to say a few words about what an amazing man Grampa was! We have such great memories of him.

He had a way of making everyone feel special! He was quick to smile and had a sparkle about him. He was so full of energy! He was the first one on the dance floor and the last to leave.

Growing up we loved it when he would sing, ”There was a little man who had a little gun.” He would sing and yodel and we would all sit around him laughing hysterically! We now sing that song to our children and it brings back such wonderful memories and still makes us laugh. We cherish the times we spent together and will always remember him with a huge smile on our faces.

~ Love you Grampa!! (Kim, Tish, Shawn, Rich and Leah)

Xoxoxoxoxo

If I could choose one word to describe Dad it would be fun-loving. He was very family- oriented and always loved a good laugh and joke. He enjoyed going for walks and the little ones always had a special place in his heart. He had so much energy and was always on the go.

Dad was also very neat and organized. Growing up, we became expert dish washers with him looking over our shoulder, making sure we left no soap residue behind. His garage was always neat and tidy and everything labelled.

Saturday nights growing up we would have family game night and play cards, board games and crokinole. Dad loved to play crokinole and was able to play until he passed away. He was definitely the crokinole champion!!

I’ll never forget the first time I came home late and saw him sitting at the kitchen table with the alarm clock beside him. I knew I was in trouble!!

Dad also had a few dislikes such as too much milk in the mashed potatoes and there always had to be a spoon in the candy dish or bowl of nuts because someone’s hands might not be clean.

Quite a few years ago, Don and Dad decided to buy a couple of cows. They chose to name them Don and Cliff and of course those cows were trouble just like their namesakes! They jumped the fence, took off down the road and caused a fair amount of damage. They never lived that one down and had many laughs over the years about it!

Dad had a humorous side and a soft side to him. He was strict, but fair. He was generous and kind. There are so many great qualities dad possessed that made him an amazing father, father-in-law, grandfather and friend.

I feel so blessed to have called him My Dad.

~ Cathy

Whether you were a 4 year old girl or an 84 year old man, my grampa was able to sit down next to you and make you laugh. He would always ask how you are, mean it sincerely, and always smile at whatever answer you gave him, no matter how long, short, boring or exciting you may have been.

I remember seeing him after my Uncle Ken passed away, and while most of our friends and family were still upset and mournful from my Uncle’s passing, my grampa had a strong, reassuring smile, and like he has to many of you, he put his hand on my knee and smiled.

So, I ask that when you close your eyes, and you think of my grampa and all of the wonderful memories you had with him, don’t feel sad and don’t be upset. Don’t wallow in sorrow. Instead turn to your loved one, which, for my grampa, was every person he ever met, and find a way to make them smile and find a way to make them laugh and find a way to brighten their day, just like he would have. We will miss you Grampa.

~ Love, Michael

Even in the months leading up to his death, Cliff was a character in true form – asking if you'd like to share his food with him, telling you, “not to worry it won't bite you” if you resisted, and wrestling with and scolding the food if it slipped out his control, “get over here, you turkey !”. His natural charm still shone through, greeting those we met in the hallway of the nursing home, “hello dear, how are you today?” or maybe a random yodel “Yodelodeeodeeo!!”. Even with his memories and wit fading, he never lost his unique and pleasant charm.

My earliest memories of Grandpa are of him entertaining us at Clear Lake, always with nursery rhymes and songs --- “Did you ever hear about Jack and Jill? They went up the hill?” or “Eric, Eric, so they say kissed the girls the other day” .... and of course learning the “There was a little man” song was a rite of passage for any of Cliff's grandchildren. “Hooray for Eric, he's a horse's ... foot ... or tail.. or some other undesirable part of a horse. We were often given our choice of games: hop-scotch, or pick up sticks. I also remember many safety lessons – whether I was riding my bike, walking on the dock, climbing stairs, starting a fire in the cook-shack, whatever we were doing. I am always extra careful now largely thanks to Grandpa.

One phrase my brother Daniel and I picked up from Grandpa, is that “Its good to have a little fun” or “you have a little fun” - usually said after a good laugh. Fun was the name of the game with Grandpa – fun and hard work, mixed with plenty of sporting events and games throughout. A word about sporting events. Grandpa's golf game was excellent – he had a slow and steady approach that usually put him at the top of the scorecard. Even in the last months before his death, his crokinole game was better than most – even if you had to remind him which team he was on.

Grandpa and Grandma would often stop by our house in Moose Jaw on their way to and from Texas. We would go for rides around town in their van – always with a healthy supply of Werther's caramels. When their visit was over and it came time to say good bye, Grandpa would shake my hand and begin to pretend to wail and cry ! One last good laugh to every visit.

I remember one time at Clear Lake Grandpa called a group of strangers – coincidentally very pretty young ladies – over to help us fix our broken down bicycle, not surprisingly they were unable to help us. I remember another time Grandpa and I were golfing at the Sandy Lake course and we both got a birdie on the same hole. We were both pretty impressed and happy.

Grandpa was an original, a funny, gentle soul and he is irreplaceable. He was one of the most pleasant people I have ever met. He seemed to never get angry or speak ill of anyone. The closest to angry he seemed to get was concerned, and usually for someone's safety.

Grandpa's life story is a good one - from marrying the local teacher to building his own log cabin to getting his appendix removed without anaesthetic to raising a family in a frontier town, to his many acts of bravery, to spending his winters in Texas, it would be a miracle if we were all so lucky.

One last word about the love of his life, Elsie. It was a very heartening and inspiring thing to see Cliff and Elsie together. You could see they really loved and respected each other. Even when Grandpa was being silly and seemed to be annoying Grandma – she was usually right on the edge of smiling and laughing along with him.

~ Memories of Grandpa Alguire – By Eric Bjorge – Moose Jaw, SK

When I was younger my family went to visit Grandpa and Grandma in Weslaco, Texas, their winter residence. One morning, while Grandma was making breakfast, my brother and I started to joke around with Grandpa. It started innocently enough, “Hooray for Grandpa” but then slowly deteriorated into “Hooray for Grandpa cause he’s a horse’s ass!” Grandpa made a motion to chase us and we ran out of the trailer laughing.

But it didn’t stop there, the next thing we knew there was a tall, lanky and surprisingly fast “old” man running after us. We picked up our speed but he caught up to us easily, grabbing Scott by the back of his shirt.

That line became an official greeting between my grandfather and I. When we went to say goodbye, we would always pretend to be wailing and hugging each other saying “Grandpa….Tanny…”, until Grandma or someone else would say “that’s enough you two”.

~ Tannis Baxter

Cliff was a fun loving father-in-law. We shared lots of laughs and chuckles and Cliff loved to have a private joke just between the two of us. Golf was a summertime favourite and he never had a score over five on any hole. We had so many wonderful times. I will miss him.

~ David

Goodbye Grandpa, we will miss you.

~ Scott Jordan

Even though there was a long overseas distance between Grandpa and I, we still shared many fond moments and I will always remember laughing with him. Rest in peace Grandpa.

~ Helen

My favourite part about grandpa was all his stories and jokes. He had a few classics of his own such as… There was a little man and When was meat the highest. Another one of the things I liked best about him was his singing, yodeling and dancing. Grampa was also a harmonica legend. I remember at the cabin he would always do a concert where he would play the harmonica and yodel to the sound of the guitar.

"There was a Little Man"- There was a little man who had a little gun, through the fields he would run with a belly full of fat and an old straw hat and a pancake tied to his bum bum bum!

When was meat the highest?

Answer:When the cow jumped over the moon!

I LOVE YOU GRANDPA!

~ Cole Alguire, Grandson of Clifford Alguire

My favorite times with Grandpa - hearing jokes, playing crokinole and playing cards. I miss you Grandpa! Thank you for spending time with me and having fun. I am grateful of you coming to the lake with me and our family. I always laughed at all the jokes you told us.

~ LOVE CHASE!

To know Cliff, you have to know the community which created him and how he brought his upbringing to us and to our community. In Cliff’s world, everything was created from and for each other. This tradition of family which he shared with everyone he ever met has taught us and inspired us to carry on that tradition. Cliff taught us that every day we have choices to make. The choices he made provided everyone he touched with the opportunity to grow in ways they probably would never have thought they could had he not opened the door to share his reality with those he met.

Every word, every song, every meal, every game, every experience included everybody he met. Cliff did not take that with him. He left it with us to share, to enjoy and to carry on that tradition. As long as we are alive, we all have the opportunity to keep him with us forever. Cliff gave the world a gift that keeps on giving. We all felt that gift and we continue to feel it. We were all lucky to know him.

~ Allan

My Father along with my Mother was the most important person in my life. His understanding and willingness to support me in whatever I decided to do throughout my childhood has assisted me in making decisions in my life as well as my children’s lives.

He was always there to take us fishing, water skiing, snow skiing or whatever we wanted to do. There was always an adventure, He was never afraid to try anything. He was never too tired or too busy for us as children. The adventures we had getting the family Christmas trees to building the family cottage at Paint Lake or exploring a new place to fish.

He was always there to volunteer for anything that came his way from the Rotary Club to helping out a neighbor, his motivations were always truthful and for the greater good.

I will always miss Dad and cherish the memories and values he has instilled in me.

~ Kevin

The thing I’ll always remember about my Grandpa is his unfaltering positive demeanor towards others. In all my time spent with him, not once have I ever heard him utter a negative word about another person. His disposition shone brightly upon all who were lucky enough to have crossed his path and for that I am eternally thankful. I will miss you Grandpa.

~ Love, Brock

Dad was very proud of his family and also of his heritage. His first cousin, William (Billy) Barker, was the greatest ace of the First World War and holds the record of 50 enemy airplanes being shot down. He was one of three soldiers to receive the Victoria Cross during World War I. Billy Barker was born in Dauphin, the son of Dad's Aunt Jane (nee Alguire). Dad was involved in the Billy Barker Society of Dauphin and was instrumental in having a mural painted in the Dauphin Mall, having the Dauphin Airport renamed the Barker Airport, and also having a statue of Billy Barker erected at City Hall.

* * * * * * * * * *

Clifford Melville Alguire

It is with sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Clifford Melville Alguire, at Winnipeg on May 5, 2014, in his 88th year.

Loving husband of 64 years to Elsie (nee Hamilton) and devoted father to Hugh (Lynne), Sharan Golden (Allan), Inez Drummond (David), Cathy Kirwan (Don), Candace Bjorge (Rick), and Kevin (Kari), cherished Grandpa to Tannis, Scott, Kim, Tish, Shawn, Richard, Brock, Michael, Leah, Helen, Eric, Anne, Daniel, Cole and Chase and several great-grandchildren…all the joys of his life. He is also survived by his sister, Phyllis Karsin, of Arborg, Manitoba, and brother Ralph (Paz) of Grand Forks, British Columbia, and many special nieces and nephews.

Dad was predeceased by his siblings Joyce, Gladys, Ella, Roy and twin brother Stan. Dad was born on May 22, 1926 on the family farm near Ashville, Manitoba.

Dad and Mom and family made their home in Thompson from 1958 to 1983 where Dad worked as a safety supervisor at International Nickel Company. Dad loved to fish, and spent a lot of time at Paint Lake where the family built a log cabin. He also enjoyed golfing and curling and served on Thompson city council, the Rotary Club and was one of the founding members of the United Church in Thompson. After retirement, Dad and Mom moved to Winnipeg and then to the family farm where Dad farmed with his brother Stan for several years and they later moved to Gilbert Plains. Their winters were spent at Pine to Palm Park in Weslaco, Texas. They made many friends and had fun golfing, shuffling, dancing and enjoying the warm weather. Dad and Mom also enjoyed their travels and cruises. Dad was always the life of the party. He liked to tell jokes, play cards, and always loved music. Most of all, he was a people person and enjoyed being with his family and friends. Time spent at the cottage at Clear Lake was very special. Dad was truly devoted to his family and many happy memories will make us smile even as we mourn him.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will take place at 2:00 p.m. on May 17, 2014 at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard.

Thanks to Tuxedo Villa personal care home for their excellent care of Dad. If friends so desire, memorial contributions in Dad’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society: 10 - 120 Donald Street Winnipeg, MB R3C 4G2, or to a charity of your choice.