Clayton James Coveyduck

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland to Clayton Jacob from Clarke’s Beach and Phyllis Katherine (née Snow) from Bay Roberts, Clayton attended Prince of Wales College. He made deliveries for his father’s grocery store, fittingly called Coveyduck’s, on Howley Avenue Extension and ran the store during the summer when his parents went on holiday.

Moving to attend Mount Allison in 1959 was an easy decision…he and his friends dismissed St. FX (too Catholic), Acadia (no alcohol allowed) and Dalhousie (too big and full of future lawyers). It was lucky for him he chose Mount A as that’s where he met Joan Watson Sadler. Clayton was Assistant Dean of Men his final year and he and Joan graduated in 1964. They moved to Montreal and married in August 1965. He received an award for distinguished service from the Mount A Board of Regents in 1998 and the Charles Frederick Allison Award for outstanding contribution to Mount A by an alumnus / alumna in 2003.

Clayton spent his career with Royal Bank, first as a management trainee in Montreal and successive roles in international banking, personnel, and retail operations, culminating with his favourite as Senior Vice President & General Manager, Atlantic Canada. He said nothing was better than traveling the region, meeting with RBC staff and clients. As long as he took care of the staff, they would take care of the clients. And as long as they met their numbers, the people in Toronto would leave him alone to run things the way he wanted. He retired from that role in 1999.

Clayton and Joan spent their retirement years on the go – gradually checking off destinations from their bucket list. They enjoyed trips with friends new and old to locales such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, South Africa, Ethiopia, Antarctica, China, Vietnam, Brazil, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. Special trips included New Year’s Eve in Vienna and seeing the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Stadium with Lynn, watching the Green Bay Packers at frigid Lambeau Field and Man United with Tim, and taking the whole family on safari in Kenya to celebrate Clayton and Joan’s 50th wedding anniversary. Clayton planned the trips and took the photos while Joan kept the travel journal.

Clayton was predeceased by his father and mother, Clayton Sr. and Phyllis; his brothers Ian and Paul; his mother and father-in-law, Lorraine and Woodie Sadler; and his best four-legged friend Dolly. Left to celebrate his life and miss him tremendously are his wife Joan; daughter Lynn (John Pottie); son Tim (Juzet); grandsons Jacob, Noah, and Matthew; sister Sharon Elliott (Andy); niece Sarah and nephew Christian; sister-in-law Dawn Coveyduck; nieces Susan and Karen (Paul Pittman); and the Sadler in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Clayton’s three loves were his bank, his university, and his family.

His family invite you to celebrate him. Visitation Monday, July 8 from 2 - 4 p.m. and 6 - 8 p.m. at JA Snow Funeral Home, Lacewood Drive. Funeral Tuesday, July 9 at 2 p.m. at Cathedral Church of All Saints, Cathedral Lane. Reception to follow in the church hall.

Donations may be made to Mount Allison University or Geriatric Medicine Research (Dr. Ken Rockwood) through the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation or through the QEII Health Sciences Research Foundation.

And remember: buy Royal Bank stock.

Veni, vidi, vici.