Clifford Harry Haack

Suddenly, on 31 January 2012, Clifford Harry Haack, at the age of 62, passed away while vacationing with Helen in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

Survived by his loving wife Helen Anne (Niziol) (nee Craigie), daughter Carrie-Anne Haack Boissonneault (husband Gilles and daughters Amelie and Bodin); step-daughters: Kelly Boucher (husband Keith and sons Connor and Brody); Heather Niziol (partner Wade Greenhalgh, son Aiden and step-daughters Tatum and Romie) as well as Carrie-Anne’s mother, Lorraine Stuski.

Also survived by his only sister Sherry Harris, husband Bob, son Todd Harris and daughters: Lee-Ann Harris (Colin Smith) and sons Brayden, Kristian and Keagan Shindak; Cara Van de Mosselaer (Rich) and daughters Arden, Ava and Anais. Helen’s sisters Dorothy Cameron (John) of Chestermere, AB and Liz (Gary) Kincaid of Winnipeg.

Predeceased by parents, Harry and Eva Haack, and Helen’s parents George and Wilma Craigie.

He will also be lovingly remembered by his large “Sutherland” clan of cousins who he especially loved to be with. Always fun times.

Cliff was born 4 May 1949 in Winnipeg. He worked at Dominion Bridge and then started with Winnipeg Police Services on 5 July 1972 retiring as Senior Police Communication Officer 20 April 2002.

Cliff enjoyed life to the fullest, especially the past 10 years of retirement. Cliff and Helen spent many days at their cottage at Ingolf, ON during the summer and spent winters on many trips – Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, Palm Springs -- as well as cruises to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas Islands and the Mediterranean.

Cliff loved his three daughters and seven grandchildren with his whole heart. His family was his all and he bent over backwards to keep us all happy. And he certainly did. We will miss his laughter, his sense of humour and especially his unconditional love.

Memorial Service will be held at l:00 p.m. Saturday, 11 February 2012 at Green Acres Funeral Home on Highway One East just inside the Perimeter, Police Chaplin Dave Dixon officiating. Flowers gratefully declined. If so wished, donations can be made to the charity of one’s choice.

GREEN ACRES

Funeral Home and Cemetery

222-3241

Condolences may be sent to:

www.greenacresfuneralhome.com

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Eulogy read by Cliff’s niece

Lee-Ann Harris

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Lee-Ann Harris, niece to Cliff Haack. Also known as “Brat”….one of Cliff’s nicknames for me.

It’s an honor to be able to share some memories about my Uncle.

When I sat down to write this it became quite clear to me that coming up with funny stories or interesting things to say about Cliff was NOT going to be the hard part! The hard part would be to somehow put a smile on my face, as of course he would have wanted, and deliver this in a unique way that personifies the person he was. To be the embodiment or perfect example….I decided all needed to do is speak from the heart because Uncle Cliff was never about pretention or trying to impress. He was as real as you can get!

So here I am, standing up here in front of a crowd of people who knew him and loved him…..to share in the celebration of his life…..after all, he was the life of the party!

Uncle Cliff was a colorful person!

His infectious laugh, his energy, his vibrancy and positive attitude. He had such a zest for life! Uncle Cliff epitomized the word “FUN”. His presence in a room brought a smile to people’s faces.

Cliff had a long and fulfilling career with the Winnipeg Police Service retiring 10 years ago as the Senior Police Communication Officer. He dealt with the utmost serious situations day in and day out. He was respected in the work place and formed many life long friends, many of whom are here today. He made a difference in peoples’ lives, in ways he probably didn’t even realize.

Cliff has often been described as the energizer bunny….running around as though there was a motor attached to his back. I believe that his family and friends re-charged that motor. Uncle Cliff loved his family so much!

His wife Helen whom he married in Hawaii in 1993…..His beloved daughter Carrie-Anne. His step daughters Kelly and Heather for whom he was a father to for 24 years. He referred to his 3 girls as his piglets. (Only a father could get away with that)! His sons-in law, Gilles, Keith and Wade, His grandchildren, Amelie, Bodin, Connor, Brody, Aiden, Tatum and Romie

My parents….his sister Sherry (as he affectionately called his “Sister Bear”) and brother in law Bob… My sister Cara and her husband Rich, our brother Todd and our children, Brayden, Kristian, Keagan, Arden, Ava and Anais were all a special part of Cliff’s family. He also had a large extended family and many dear friends.

Cliff always had a love of dogs. Most recently his 3 Shelties, Tyler, Holly and Jeannie brought him a lot of joy. We like to joke that whenever one of his daughters moved out, he would replace them with a dog! I remember as a little girl, always being excited to go visit Uncle Cliff, Auntie Wayne and Carrie to play with their dogs Pepper and Coco.

Cliff and Helen loved to travel! They were continuously “on the go”. From weekend get-aways with the cousins, to exotic destinations around the world. Cruising was a favorite! Travelling and exploring was a passion for both Cliff and Helen in which Helen will continue.

Cliff enjoyed his summers at their cottage at Ingolf…….Cliff loved his toys at the lake. His pontoon boat and quads…. Especially his latest addition “the Gator”. When Cliff took Helen for her first wild ride on the gator, she actually refused to ride back with him and walked all the way back to the cottage.

Life with Cliff was always a wild ride!

He was kind of like Peter Pan. Child like and playful! Peter Pan…a mischievous boy who can fly and never ages! Why grow up....or grow old. Who says we can’t put peanut butter on everything we eat? Peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches were one of his favorites. Yes, peanut butter and mayonnaise together! Ewww! Another favorite was the “Orange Jelly Salad that mom makes every Christmas. Uncle Cliff could never remember the name of it but he liked to call it “That orange Sh**” The word Bleep was inserted instead of the original “S” word that was not appropriate in front of the children. Who makes those rules anyway? We liked to call them “Cliffisms”!

During his school years, Cliff played little league baseball and hockey, with his Dad as his coach, spending countless fun hours together at Windsor Community Club. He always had an interest in sports and was an avid golfer. It has been known to some that Cliff and a few colleagues had quite the set up in the basement of the Public Safety Building, playing Virtual Golf on the old computers!

Cliff was a big fan of the Winnipeg Jets and very recently enjoyed going to a game with his good friend Denise Burns. I don’t know how Helen and Denise’s husband Dennis felt about that, but the two of them had a great time!

While Cliff was growing up, I’m pretty sure his parents Eva and Harry, also known as Nana and Bumpa, and my mom, as his sister, had their hands full! Although he may have been a little spoiled by Nana, he sure did things that pushed the limits! Trying to make homemade wine out of crabapples and causing an explosion of fermented apple mash all over the garage, Driving like a daredevil on his little red scooter and later in life, his motor cycle, Swallowing the money that was to be shared with his sister Sherry for the movie admission.

Cliff had a number of boy cousins very close in age. Cliff and cousins Freddy and Billy were literally “hell on wheels”. Out at their cousins’ farms at Petersfield, the three of them let loose and ran wild. Daring and adventuresome, – they tried it all.

Cliff was considered to be a very “spirited child” and that continued on into adulthood.

Cliff always had a real competitive nature. His daughter Carrie-Anne can attest to this. Often while swimming in their backyard swimming pool, Cliff would challenge Carrie-Anne to see who could hold their breath the longest under water. They would regularly have underwater races. And I’m sure this helped instill the competitive athleticism that Carrie-Anne has always naturally had.

Cliff loved to dance – unfortunately he never really learned how! Disco was his style and being on the dance floor with him could be a hazardous experience. You never knew when an arm or leg would suddenly fly out in any direction.

Some of my own precious memories are of family Christmas’s and Boxing Day celebrations. Cliff was especially “child like” at Christmas time! Couldn’t wait to open all the gifts and would always try and guess everything under tree. I can just hear him now saying….”Alrighta’! One year when he was a little boy he actually got up early and opened every present under the tree, whether they were his presents or not. I’m sure Nana was mortified!

Cliff was adamant that all of us get together at some point every Christmas. This past Christmas he was especially instrumental in making sure it happened. This past Boxing day, at mom and dad’s house, I remember Uncle Cliff trying to convince me to come visit them in Cabo in January. He was telling me they had a guest bed for me and that I really should come.

If only I knew. Now who’s going to call me “Brat”?

Although Uncle Cliff was not without faults and quirks that go along with being human, he always managed to bring some levity to the seriousness of life.

Life is an amazing gift, every morning a new beginning.

Some of us feel that you’ve left us too soon…that we didn’t get a chance to say some things. I know you would never want anyone to feel regret…. only happiness for the good times. These are precious memories now of a passionate person!

A husband, father, step father, grandfather, brother and friend to many ……And an uncle!

Fun loving and enjoying life to the fullest. Today we are celebrating you…. A man who left an impression.

I know your hopes would be that everybody here today, take a little bit of your positive energy and incorporate into their daily lives.

Smile more, laugh more, dance more, take life a little less seriously and learn to let go and warm up a room with laughter!

Uncle Cliff we love you and you will be missed!

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Rainbow Bridge - read by Cliff's Granddaughter Amelie Boissonneault

Just this side of heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.

When a much loved animal dies, it goes to Rainbow Bridge. It runs and plays with special friends, in the rolling meadows and hills. There, animals are restored to health and vigor, just as we remember them. They are happy and content, but still miss the special people they have left behind.

There comes a day when a frolicking pet suddenly stops and looks into the distance. With bright eyes and eager body, it spots you and begins to run from its friends. Reunited, you embrace in a shower of happy tears and kisses. You look into the eyes of your beloved pet and realize that your love for each other will always live on.

Finally together, you cross the Rainbow Bridge….

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Memories from Co-Worker- read by Pam Langstaff and Terry Kentch

We just wanted to take a few minutes of your time and share some thoughts...

My name is Pam Langstaff and Terry's name is Terry Kentch. We both worked with Cliff in the In the Police Communications Center, answering the 911 Emergency and nonemergency calls and dispatching the police. Terri worked with Cliff throughout her whole career and I worked with Cliff for about 10 years.

When we heard what happened, we started thinking about Cliff, and it brought back so many good memories that we just wanted to share them and help to remember the good times.

At one time, both Terri and I were on Cliff's shift as he was the Senior Police Communications Operator on a shift of about eight people. We were very lucky at this time-we had a great shift, we all got along, we had supportive relationships with each other, and we genuinely liked each other. No doubt part of the reason for this camaraderie was the excellent leadership of our buddy Cliff. We shared many Friday night drinks at Hy’s after a shift, with Cliffie treating us to cheese toast and snacks.

Cliff was a great sport. As everyone talks about, he had a great sense of humor and a great sense of fun. He was very easy going with us and was just great to work with. He made the really stressful environment of the Communication Center and the difficult work tolerable because of his sense of fun and zest for life.

Even though Cliff was the boss we teased him mercilessly. He had a nickname for me and called me “Sparky”. He took all our ribbing and jokes like the true sport he was. Often, examples make descriptions more clear, so at the risk of sharing our deep dark secrets, here’s one, although you are going to have to try and use your imagination with this, otherwise it turns out as one of those ”you had to be there’s’’.

There was a dedicated line on the supervisor's desk at the front of the Communication Center that rang only at the supervisor's desk. It was known to be an important line that had to be answered immediately, and of course back in the 1990s, there was no call display on that phone. Being grown-up kids ourselves, we used to prank Cliff on the phone. For those of you who know Carolyn Kwiatek, I hope her ears in Florida are burning right now. So you really have to imagine this-we would be sitting at the back of the communication center observing Cliff, and we would call the 6059 number. No matter where he was he had to get up to answer it. It was quite a fine art. Call the first time. Let it ring till he was just about there, hang up. Observe Cliff. Wait till he went back to what he was doing and sat down again. Call the second time. Let it ring till Cliff was just about there… Hang up… Observe Cliff…..Call the third time….Let it ring till his hand was about to touch the receiver…Hang up..Observe Cliff… At this point he had figured out who it was.. then he would look up at me and yell “Sparky”!!!” Having concluded, of course, that the prank phone calls could only be from one of us. He was such a good sport.

The other "for example" we had going was logging on as Cliff under his name and password. At first, it was legitimate and he gave us his password so that we were able to do certain computer functions when he was out of the room. However, it was fun to log on as him from another terminal-which would log him off the computer he was on-and then send a silly message to the rest of the communication center, or send him a message to Cliff, from Cliff "Hi Cliff!" One particular time he was quite frustrated with us and changed his password to stop the merciless teasing and silly messages. I went to a computer terminal at the back of the room, once again observing Cliffie. As you can tell we spent a lot of time observing Cliff and gauging his reactions… So now I’m at the back of the room and thinking, “Cliffie, Cliffie” what password would I use? Predictable Cliffie…I know ! Helen one! H E L E N 1. Voila! I was logged in again as Cliffie, send a silly message to him or to the Communications Center. Observe Cliff. He brings up the message from himself, gets annoyed and signs me off. He’ll stop Sparky this time! He changed his password again. I observed Cliff, very satisfied with himself. I’m at the back of the room hmmm, Cliffie Cliffie what password would I use? Predictable Cliffie. I know Blazer 1! B L A Z E R 1. Voila! Logged in as Cliffie again. Send another silly message to him and the Comm Center. Observe Cliff. “Sparky!!!” he says. He signs me off, and unfortunately I was not able to crack his code ever again.

So those are our deep dark secrets…!

As you can tell, we had a lot of good times... and Cliff was such a good sport about everything, when I think back I can't tell you how much I appreciate what he did and how he did it-it really was a gift.

Terri wants to share a few memories too…

As you all probably know Cliff liked many different food groups…… frenchy fries, Albert Street Burgers and just a few “double rum and cokes”, but he especially liked to dance. He really had his own unique way of cutting a rug...

Hands on his hips, trying to wiggle like Elvis Presley, and just generally moving around trying to catch a rhythm…dreaming up his moves as he went along. This brings me to this one particular shift party. There was a little drinking, there was dancing and then there was Cliffie. Then there was a little more drinking, more dancing, a ceiling fan, and a stereo and what appeared was “Helicopter Cliff”.

Then there was still Cliffie, but no more stereo, no more ceiling fan!

We'll leave the rest of that to your imagination!

Cliff really enjoyed life, enjoyed his friends, family, coworkers and colleagues. We knew him as a man who enjoyed the simple things in life, was a great boss and a good friend, and we'll miss him and his Barney Rubble laugh and sense of humor very much.

So Cliffie, if you're watching, here's to you! We're sorry for our merciless teasing-but we can only aspire to be as good a sport in life as you were.

XOX

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A Life that Matters – Read by

Cliff's Niece Cara VandeMosselaer

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.

At the end, whether you were beautiful or brilliant, male or female, even your skin colour won't matter.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice

Choose to live a life that matters.