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WALSH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-03-06 published
The day the music didn't die
Beloved Toronto trumpeter credited with helping preserve a unique form of New Orleans jazz
By Sarah LAMBERT Thursday, March 6, 2003 - Page R9
Toronto -- The tightly knit world of New Orleans traditional jazz has lost one of its greats with the death, last month, of Cliff (Kid) BASTIEN, leader of Toronto's treasured Happy Pals.
The trumpeter is credited as having nothing less than single-handedly kept alive the unique, raw, New Orleans style of jazz, through his leadership and mentorship of hundreds of musicians.
Saddened fans and musicians filed into the city's Grossman's Tavern all week last month to pay tribute to Mr. BASTIEN at the long-time home of the Happy Pals, where the walls are lined with photos of his fans and musicians. It was a send-off worthy of New Orleans, birthplace of the kind of jazz Mr. BASTIEN played with his seven-piece bands, the Camelia Jazz Band and later the Happy Pals, during the 30 or so years he played at the Toronto landmark.
"He was never late. Never, never ever, said Christine LOUIE, whose family inherited Mr. BASTIEN's Saturday-afternoon gig when Al GROSSMAN sold the bar in 1975.
So it was with sinking hearts on February 8 that his loyal audience and band members watched the minute hand tick past 4 o'clock, waiting for him to arrive, brass trumpet in hand.
When he was found later that afternoon still sitting in his armchair, apparently looking up a new song in his hymn book, the Happy Pals played on and raised a glass in tribute to their leader who died as he lived, surrounded by music. He was 65 years old.
Noonie SHEARS, a long-time friend and leader of the traditional impromptu parade that would inevitably snake through Grossman's as Saturday afternoon wound down, said she thought Mr. BASTIEN was looking up I'll Fly Away, the old gospel song recently dusted off in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The band played it for the first time at Mr. BASTIEN's official memorial at Grossman's the Saturday following his death.
Born in 1937 in London's East End, Mr. BASTIEN emigrated to Canada in 1962 after a stint in New Orleans. It was there that he heard trumpeter (Kid) Thomas VALENTINE play and, experiencing a kind of epiphany, Mr. BASTIEN followed him from club to club and studied his style. It ultimately inspired a lifelong ambition to keep alive New Orleans-style traditional jazz.
A purist who drew a distinction between his chosen genre of music and the more popularized Dixieland Jazz, Mr. BASTIEN once said: "Had I never heard that music, I wouldn't have become a musician. I wouldn't play anything else."
I Like Bananas, Caledonia, All of Me and Louisiana Vie en Rose were just a few of his standards. But, as Happy Pals' trombonist Roberta TEVLIN explained, Mr. BASTIEN wasn't content to simply recycle the old chestnuts.
"Cliff kept adding songs. I've probably played 1,000 different tunes with him. He was particularly notorious for finding songs outside the standard jazz list, said Ms. TEVLIN, who joined the band 20 years ago, along with her saxophonist husband, Patrick.
Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Western Swing numbers, Nigerian folk songs and Dean Martin could all tumble out during a set, said drummer Chuck CLARKE.
Mr. BASTIEN's Friends and peers point out that he was known for three primary qualities: His love of music, his scorn for fame or publicity and his mentoring of local musicians.
During the memorial at Grossman's, Downchild Blues Band headman Donny WALSH arrived from Florida to sit in with his harmonica, as he had done regularly with Mr. BASTIEN in the 1970s. Juno-nominated bluesman Michael PICKETT was there, as well as jazz singer Laura HUBERT, formerly of the Leslie Spit Treeo, pianist Peter HILL, The Nationals and many more.
From the worldwide New Orleans jazz community, among those who came to pay their respects were saxophonist Jean-Pierre ALESSI of France, trumpeter Roger (Kid Dutch) UITHOVEN of Orlando, Florida, clarinetist Kjeld BRANDT from Denmark and Toronto's Brian TOWERS, Jan SHAW and Joe VAN ROSSEM.
"I cannot imagine the Toronto traditional jazz scene without Cliff BASTIEN and his raw, emotional New Orleans-style jazz, Mr. TOWERS wrote in a notice posted on the Internet shortly after he learned of the death of his friend.
"He was probably the most popular and influential figure on the Toronto traditional jazz scene. He taught many others to play their instruments in the style and introduced thousands to the joys of New Orleans traditional jazz.
"We went to Grossman's after our own gig and Jan and I played some hymns with the Happy Pals. A sadder and more emotional scene I have rarely seen."
Toronto musician Joanne MacKELL, leader of the Paradise Rangers, wonders how things might have been if she had not met Mr. BASTIEN when she was just starting out.
"Though I was young and inexperienced, Kid would always invite me up to sing, Ms. MacKELL said, recalling how the band took her under its wing when she discovered them in the early 1970s.
"Kid didn't care about money or popular opinion. He filled Grossman's Tavern every Saturday for some 30 years because he played great music with honesty and integrity and he inspired me to try and do the same."
Until just last year, Mr. BASTIEN, who feared flying, avoided the lure of the road, taking only an annual sojourn to New Orleans for the French Quarter Festival. Finally, in the fall of 2002, he accepted an invitation to tour Scandinavia with the Danish/Swedish band New Orleans Delight, playing with George BERRY on tenor sax. A new Compact Disk is due to be released this spring.
His official recordings are few, numbering about a dozen, as Mr. BASTIEN preferred to play to an audience. Though, as Ms. TEVLIN pointed out: "There are bootleg tapes all over the place."
His legacy, the band says, is keeping the New Orleans style of jazz alive.
"Kid Thomas VALENTINE was one of the greats, and when he was gone, Kid BASTIEN carried on. Kid BASTIEN was one of the greats, and now Kid's gone. So who's going to carry the music on now? We will, said saxophonist Mr. TEVLIN on behalf of the Happy Pals, who intend to continue the Saturday-afternoon tradition at Grossman's.
In another side to his life, Mr. BASTIEN was an accomplished commercial artist whose hand-crafted signs, woodwork and acid-etched glass can be seen in many local pubs, including Toronto's Wheat Sheaf Tavern. His work can be found across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and California, as well as in Europe.
Mr. BASTIEN's wish was to be buried in New Orleans.

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WALSH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-03-21 published
MOSS, Earle Roderick
Internationally acclaimed pianist and teacher, bon vivant, gourmet cook, world traveler died at Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 after a long, painful but dignified struggle with age-related disabilities. He was 82 years of age. Dearly beloved brother of Eric (Bonnie) of Perth, Ontario and Sylvia (Frances) of Owen Sound, Ontario. Predeceased by brother Cyril Lloyd, mother Marian Agnes KENNARD, father Cyril Albert and step-mother Frances Astley McDOUGAL. Sadly missed by niece Catherine MOSS and great-niece Jesse MOSS- BALAN, nieces Joy (Raul) POBRE-MOSS, Ruayan and Gay POBRE- MOSS, nephew David MOSS- CORNETT and by many Friends and students. Baptized in the Anglican Church of St. Barnabas (Chester) in Toronto, the city of his birth, Earle in later years converted to Roman Catholicism, taking the name Thomas, after Saint Thomas, the doubting Disciple of Christ. Funeral Massachusetts will be celebrated at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Owen Sound on Saturday, March 22, 2003 at 11 o'clock with celebrant Father Paul WALSH. At a date to be announced later, a Memorial Mass will be held at Regis College, 15 Saint Mary Street, Toronto. Donations in memory of Earle to Regis College, Toronto, Saint Mary's Church, Owen Sound or Saint Thomas Anglican Church, Owen Sound or the charity of your choice would be appreciated and may be made through the Tannahill Funeral Home (519-376-3710) 1178 4th Ave. West, Owen Sound N4K 4W5. Messages of condolence are welcome at www.tannahill.com

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WALSH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-04-17 published
GOETTLER, George G.
Of Dublin, Ontario, died suddenly Tuesday, April 15, 2003 in his 82nd year. Predeceased by his beloved wife Ally LOOBY in 1995. Loving father of Jo-Ann WICKWARE of Burlington, Thomas GOETTLER of Guelph, Pauline HARTFIEL of Mitchell, and Stephen GOETTLER of Dublin. Cherished Papa to Kathryn, Suzanne and Alan WICKWARE, Stephen, Paul and Matthew HARTFIEL, and Kathleen, George and Donald GOETTLER. Survived by sisters Margaret RODGERS, London, Hélène DUCHARME, Canton, Michigan, and brother John (Jack) GOETTLER, London. Predeceased by parents Louis and Sarah (McCAFFREY,) sisters Evelyn DISLER, Dorothy WALSH and Mary, brothers Edgar and Fred and by infant granddaughter Ann HARTFIEL. George served with the Canadian Army overseas in the Second World War. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Father Stephen Eckert Council, for fifty years. In 1952, he came to Dublin and began a merchant career that spanned half a century and includes the present day G.G. Goettler group of companies, which he founded with his wife in 1978. Visitation will be at the Lockhart Funeral Home, 109 Montreal Street, Mitchell Thursday and Friday evenings, 6: 00 to 9: 00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Dublin, Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m. with Reverend Maurice CHARBONNEAU officiating. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to L'Arche (Stratford) through the funeral home at (519) 348-8643.

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WALSH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-08-08 published
Dr. Fred JOHNSON. Born January 23, 1910 Died July 15, 2003
Dr. Fred JOHNSON had a long and distinguished career as an obstetrician and gynecologist. He was a fine clinician, a leader of local and national stature, a shaper of careers, an inspiring teacher and most of all a role model for all who knew him. He was raised in a loving family on a farm near Hamilton. He joked that he went into medicine to avoid farm chores. Graduating from the University of Toronto in 1936, he interned at the Hamilton General Hospital and went on to Western Reserve University in Cleveland completing his training obstetrics and gynecology in 1941. He joined the staff at Hamilton General Hospital in 1942 and with Dr R.T. WEAVER made Hamilton renowned for skills in vaginal surgery. In 1958, he became Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hamilton Civic Hospitals and served in that position until 1972, 14 years. During his tenure a new medical school was developed at McMaster University. In 1966 he became one of its first Professors and in 1968 became the founding Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He built a new academic department based on strong clinical departments at the Henderson and St Joseph's Hospitals. He recruited and helped train many residents and many faculty who have gone on to practice in Hamilton, in other communities in Canada and in the U.S. Many of his graduates and his faculty have gone on to become national and international leaders in Obstetrics and Gynecology. All have their own personal stories to tell about how Fred stimulated, supported and shaped them. He provided critical support and guidance to those in his department who were developing what at that time were sometimes controversial new sub-specialty programs, particularly in gynecological oncology and maternal-fetal medicine. Fred was a wonderful educator. In the 1970's, Dr Bill WALSH, then Associate Dean at McMaster wrote of him as 'a senior physician who provides a role model as mature, wise, humane and expert -­ all at the same time.' Dr JOHNSON also helped guide and plan the building of McMaster University Medical Centre and was its first President as well as it's Clinical Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1971-1975. Hamilton was not alone in recognizing his abilities and accomplishments. He became an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1964. He was invited to be a Visiting Professor at Ohio State University in 1968. In 1969, he was appointed President of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the national society representing all obstetricians and gynecologists in Canada. In 1972, he was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in England. Up to that time, only six other Canadians had been so honored. Upon his retirement, he was appointed as a Professor Emeritus at McMaster. In his honour, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster created the F.L. Johnson Trust Fund. That fund has grown to provide critical support for research in the Department. Dr JOHNSON's family have requested that any donations in his memory be directed to that fund. It is hoped that the Fund will grow to a size able to support a McMaster University Chair in Women's Reproductive Health. In 1985 Dr Fred JOHNSON was awarded honorary Doctor of Laws by McMaster University in recognition of his many contributions and achievements. President of McMaster University Alvin LEE, in addition to identifying his clinical and academic contributions and identifying him as 'a medical statesman in Obstetrics and Gynecology' indicated that 'he has been a unique interpreter of both Hamilton and McMaster through his sense of excellence, his unfailing decency and his legendary humour and equanimity'. His wonderful family, many Friends and patients will always remember his kind gentle personality and his delightful dry sense if humour. Dr JOHNSON was a unique human being and leader who made critical contributions to the building of clinical and academic strengths of the clinical department at the Hamilton Civics, the creation of a new medical school and a new medical centre, development of a new academic department at McMaster, leadership of his discipline at a national level and, at a personal level, support and development of strengths and abilities in his students and his professional colleagues. We celebrate his impact and his legacy.

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WALSH o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-10-15 published
Marguerite Ruth DOW
By Betsy CLARKE, Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - Page A22
Teacher, professor, author, daughter, sister, Christian. Born June 13, 1926, in Ottawa. Died May 13 in Ottawa, aged 76.
Marguerite DOW was a gentle, gracious, caring lady who was generous with her time and resources and who always had a happy smile. She was a teacher by profession, a loving sister to her family and a devout member of St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Ottawa.
I first met Marguerite when I began teaching English at Laurentian High School. As our department head, she was meticulous in everything she did; no document, exam or set of marks escaped her keen oversight. But she was an excellent mentor and adviser, always ready to help fledging and largely untrained new staff members in our struggle to get through the first weeks of our career.
In 1965, she become the first female professor in the faculty of education at the University of Western Ontario. It must have been a very difficult decision for her to leave Ottawa as she, her identical twin Helen, her sister and brother-in-law Dorothy and Michael WALSH, and their parents shared a home with three apartments in the Glebe, an Ottawa neighbourhood.
Marguerite flourished as a professor and an author. She retired from Althouse College in 1985 and returned to Ottawa. She began attending St. Matthew's Church, even though she had been raised a Baptist and, in 1988, she was confirmed into the Anglican faith. She loved St. Matthew's, especially the music.
Her twin sister, Helen, had also retired from her teaching position at the University of Guelph so the two sisters once again shared a home. Helen soon became ill with a "degenerative illness," but she remained at home under Marguerite's care. After Helen moved to a palliative-care facility, her twin visited every day.
Soon sister Dorothy's health deteriorated and when dementia meant that her husband, Michael, and Marguerite could no longer care for her, she was moved to a long-term care facility. Marguerite began the daily routine of taking Michael to visit his wife. However, she had an additional burden: Michael himself was not well and needed caregivers.
Marguerite sadly postponed the inevitable decision to find a facility for Michael. "He's family," she told his case worker, who referred to Marguerite as a saint. On the other hand, she recognized that she would soon not be able to manage, even with caregivers.
On May 13, Marguerite's body was found in her home. She had been bludgeoned to death. One small comfort in the face of such a violent death is that she likely didn't know what happened to her. Michael has been charged with second-degree murder; he is currently awaiting trial.
We have so many reasons to celebrate Marguerite's life. She loved teaching and her students. She was a lover of art, especially Chinese art and furniture, and both were evident in abundance in her home. She was the mainstay of her family. Only after her death did we learn that she was a philanthropist as well. She was a generous benefactor to Western and the University of Toronto, with the establishment of scholarships, bursaries and fellowships.
St. Matthew's was filled for her funeral. We sang the hymns she had chosen and heard the biblical passages she had selected. Among the prayers was one that gave thanks for her gentle and generous spirit. We all recognized we were better for having been in her circle of Friends.
Betsy CLARKE taught with Marguerite and was a fellow parishioner at St. Matthew's.

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WALSKE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-07-21 published
Deborah FLETCHER
By Blaine MARCHAND, Monday, July 21, 2003 - Page A14
Sister, daughter, friend. Born December 31, 1948, in Ottawa. Died February 11, of cancer, aged 54.
Dear friends," the e-mails began, although most had never met one another. Their common element was Friendship with Deborah FLETCHER.
The intimacy of e-mail brought testimonials of Friendship across decades, articulations of grief that someone so filled with the spirit of the world should pass away. One e-mail thanked her family: "You nurtured and encouraged and polished a wonderful spirit, and then generously gave her to the world. You helped make her an idealist with feet planted firmly on the ground."
Deborah was the eldest child, born to Jack and Doris. Two brothers, Randy and Dennis, followed her. The FLETCHERs instilled in their children wit, kind-heartedness, and fidelity to family. The extended FLETCHER clan reached from the Ottawa Valley down into the United States.
Following high-school, Deborah, interested in journalism, went to Algonquin College. Upon graduation in 1971, encouraged by her Aunt Elsie to go to Europe and "get it out of your system," Deborah marshalled Friends in the course to go along. The power of that visit stayed with her. She returned repeatedly, often with those Friends, to Provence and Tuscany.
After the first trip, she headed to the West Kootenays. Drawn to the beauty of British Columbia, yet also back to her childhood city, she shaped a career in Vancouver and Ottawa, maintaining apartments in both cities. These she filled with objets d'art: she was the one who searched for beauty and bought the best, the one who made every moment a celebration.
Always self-employed, Deborah was a prototypical "new age" worker. An e-mail read: "I try to recap her careers in my mind: journalist, food critic, teen drop-in-centre co-ordinator, children's bookstore owner, events promoter, media co-ordinator, video writer and producer." Underlying these choices were her curiosity, creativity and a commitment to challenge and change the world. A global villager, she worked for (to name a few): Canadian International Development Agency, Foreign Affairs, the Aga Khan Foundation. Personal travel took her all across Canada. No matter where she was, she nourished Friendships. As one e-mail stated: "There was that magical spark of Friendships among her Friends, many of whom moved in separate orbits around Deb and didn't know each other."
Her reach extended to the younger generation. When in Ottawa, she frequently had her two nieces over for sleepovers. The daughter of longtime Friends wrote "I knew I was on the right track to womanhood when Deborah was so taken with the colour of my lipstick, she directed us straight to the nearest drugstore and bought it." More recently, she had received a note praising a childhood drawing Deb had come across. "She wrote that I was unconcerned with neat printing and careful outlines, I was just caught up in creating and it showed. It is with the spirit of Deborah that I hope to continue to use bold colour to paint the experience of this life..."
In February, 2002, Deb was diagnosed with cancer. Determined to defeat the disease, family and Friends encouraged and assisted her. Six years earlier, she had met Paul WALSKE, who became the love of her life. "In the beginning it was probably the sound of her laugh... we all know that sound. I think I knew at the very start that I could love her just for that alone." In January of this year, they married in her hospital room decorated with giant peach-coloured roses Paul had bought.
As someone wrote: "In the end, family and Friends are everything. Family can be Friends and Friends can be family." No one exemplified this more than Deb.
Blaine is Deborah FLETCHER's friend.

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WALTER o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2003-01-22 published
Harry O. BRUMPTON
In loving memory of Harry O. Brumpton who passed away peacefully at his home on January 7, 2003 at the age of 86 years.
Beloved husband of the late Juanita (1999). Dear father of Patricia and Ken THOMPSON/THOMSON/TOMPSON/TOMSON, LaSalle. Dear brother of Margaret WALTER, Hemet, Ca. Also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins. Mr. BRUMPTON was the former Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for the City of Windsor and retired in 1982 after 23 years of service. He served with the R.C.A.F. during WW2. Harry will be missed by many Friends in McGregor Bay, especially Ann and Godfrey McGREGOR, with whom he held a special relationship. Upon his death, Mr. BRUMPTON honoured the Whitefish River First Nation Community by making a generous bequeathment towards a student bursary.
Visitation was held at The Walter D. Kelly Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 1969 Wyandotte St. E. The funeral service was held on Thursday January 9, 2003 with Reverend Paul ALMOND officiating. Cremation with interment later in St. Christopher's Church Cemetery, McGregor Bay, Ontario.

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WALTER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-10-06 published
Died This Day -- Arnold WALTER, 1973
Monday, October 6, 2003 - Page R5
Composer and music educator, born in Czechoslovakia in 1902 educated in Prague and Berlin; emigrated to Canada in 1937. In 1946, established degree program at Toronto Conservatory of Music (now Royal Conservatory) to prepare music teachers for school positions, first of its kind in Canada; director of University of Toronto's music faculty, 1952-1968; Companion of the Order of Canada.

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WALTERS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-07-02 published
INGHAM, Albert
Ab died suddenly on Sunday, June 29, 2003 in his 86th year, on a fine summer day at the family cottage at Lime Lake, a bright and active man. Beloved husband of Anne (KUZ) and father of Paula BUTTERFIELD and husband David, Dyan JONES and partner Randy MARTIN, Thomas INGHAM and daughter-in-law Janet WHITE/WHYTE. His grandchildren Isaiah WALTERS, Rachel WALTERS, Adam BUTTERFIELD, Jonathan BUTTERFIELD and Samuel INGHAM will always cherish their Friendship with him. Survived by his brother Robert INGHAM and brother-in-law Walter KUZ and dear nieces and nephews.
A fine man of jovial spirit, he embodied so much to be admired. May we all live such a full and loving life. Family and Friends will be received at the Ward Funeral Home, 2035 Weston Rd. (north of Lawrence Ave.) Weston, from 6-9 p.m. Thursday. Funeral Service in the Ward Chapel on Friday, July 4, 2003 at 11 a.m. Interment Prospect Cemetery. Donations to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Breast And Gynecology Research Teams, would be appreciated.

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WALTHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-05-05 published
Clifton WARD
By Sheryl SPENCER Monday, May 5, 2003 - Page A18
Veteran, printer, father, stepfather, grandfather. Born March 19, 1913, in Surrey, England. Died December 3, 2002 in Barrie, Ontario of natural causes, aged 89.
My Grandpa's early years were marked by the First World War. His earliest memory was of being very afraid while travelling with his mother by train to London; German zeppelins were trying to bomb the train. My grandpa's father, Reuben WARD, served in that war.
After that war, Reuben WARD took a position "in service" as a chauffeur. Grandpa witnessed his father at the estate owner's beck-and-call day and night, and at some point he realized that should his father ever leave his job, their family would be out of house and home. As a result, that my grandfather became a lifelong socialist.
At the age of 14, my grandfather was apprenticed to the estate manager. It was he who got Grandpa a job as a typist at the West Surrey Farmers' Association in Guildford. Grandpa left the West Surrey Farmers' Association as assistant manager in 1951.
As a young adult my Grandpa read everything he could get his hands on; he played badminton and tennis; he bought himself a motorcycle and became a trials rider; and he acquired an Austin Ulster Healey sports car. Most importantly, my Grandpa learned to dance. He said that there were not many things that he could do really, really well, but dancing was one of them.
It was through playing badminton that Grandpa met Marion WALTHER. She was from a higher "class, " but they danced well together. It was expected that they would marry, so they did.
When the Second World War broke out, my grandpa enlisted with the Royal Air Force. He spent most of the war in North Africa and felt that his greatest contribution was having taken part in the Battle of El Alamein. During the war, Grandpa was often under fire; his only injury, however, was a bone broken at the top of his little finger. He felt that he was not spared death for any special purpose; he was just lucky.
After the war, Grandpa and Marion settled into domestic life. They bought a house and adopted two children, Leila and Paul. In 1951, however, they decided to emigrate to Canada. Grandpa found work in Barrie, Ontario, first at the Simcoe District Co-operative and then in the commercial printing department of the Barrie Examiner.
Grandpa and Marion divorced in 1962 and Grandpa moved to Toronto and began a job with Web Offset, another printing company. He took an apartment and met a woman who lived in the same building: my grandmother, Sylvia McFADDEN.
When my grandpa married my grandmother in 1965 he took on a huge, ready-made family: my grandmother's seven children and what would become (by my estimate) 27 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and eight great-great grandchildren.
Grandpa said that he found in my grandmother an anchor -- and that commitment extended to all of us. My grandparents' home was the central clearing depot of all family information. They sent thousands of cards over the years, lent money, and offered a spare room and a warm welcome to anyone who needed it. It was remarkable enough when my grandmother was alive that no birthday was ever forgotten; it was even more remarkable after her death in 1992 that the cards kept coming.
My grandpa never intended to live to be 89. He missed my grandmother, his sister, Doff, and his brother, Leslie, who all predeceased him. He thought he was dying for many years before his courtship with death was finally consummated. The love and support he and my grandmother gave, these lie now within us, our gift to bestow on the generations to come.
Sheryl is Clifton's granddaughter.

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