October 2, 1958 - February 24, 2019
With great sadness we announce that on February 24, 2019 Bradley Ross Clifton passed away in his home in Keremeos, BC at the age of 60 years.
Brad was survived by his loving wife Dianne, son John Ross Clifton (Erin Johnston), daughter Marla Clifton (Steve Young). Parents Wilson and June Clifton. Brother Wade Clifton (Sandra). Nieces: Cassie Marchand (Wade), Trisha Moore (Cody), Megan Clifton (Evan), Ashley Bauer (Jamie), Taylor Mclean (John) and Carey McLean. Nephew: Joel van den Hoek (Leslie), Great nieces and nephews: Wylie, Weston, Jessie and Addison.
A Celebration of Life and luncheon was held on March 2, 2019 at the Similkameen Elementary Secondary School. Interment was held at the Keremeos Cemetery on Sunday, March 3, 2019 with Pastor Jason Wiebe officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Brad's memory to South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation/Penticton Hospital.
Condolences may be sent to the family through providencefuneralhomes.com.
On behalf of the Clifton family we would like to thank the SESS for their generous donation of the school facilities and the setting up of the gym. The Royal Purple ladies and all our friends who helped prepare the luncheon. Buy Low Foods for the delicious Beef on a bun.
The overwhelming support from the community to all the help on the Ranch, the gifts of flowers, cards, foods and heartfelt kind words of condolences. Thank you to Pastor Jason Wiebe for the service, his guidance, comfort and support to ease our loss. Thank you Greg Linton of Providence Funeral Home for your calming and kind ways to ease us through all the arrangements.
Brad was a loving husband, father, son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, great uncle, cousin and a friend.
Brad was a legacy larger than life. He will be forever in our hearts and words cannot express how much he will be missed!!
Tribute to Dad
JR - Hello, for those who don't know us, i'm Brad's son John Ross M - And I'm his daughter Marla
JR - We would like to thank everyone for coming here today to celebrate the life and memory of our father.
Dad was born on October 2, 1958 in Penticton Hospital, Penticton, and was the first son of our Grandparents June and Wilson. Four years later, his little brother Wade was born. This was the beginning of a dynamic duo that would play together, work together, and sometimes argue, but they always shared a strong brotherly bond. The story began at their original house on River Road until June and Wills bought the ranch in May of 1968. They lived in the original farm house until Grandma and Grandpa built their home in 1979. Together they built the Clifton Ranch into what it is today.
In 1979 Dad met the woman of his dreams, our Mother Dianne, and married her 5 years later. Much to his dismay, they moved back into the old farm house where they raised the two of us. In 1992, they built Mom and Dad's current house where they have lived for the past 27 years.
M - Dad was very motivated even from a young age. He had a fencing crew in his early 20's, and several years later bought his first truck and began hauling livestock and hay. The ranch was becoming busier which led to Dad eventually selling his trucking business and working on the ranch full time.
Dad always said the most important things in life was his family and friends, and making sure we were all taken care of. He didn't want today to be only a sad event, but instead a true celebration of life - to laugh and tell stories and have a few drinks. Minus the drinks, (which we will save for later) here are some memories and traits that we loved about him.
JR - Some of the earliest memories I have of my Dad are riding with him in his Freightliner. Whether is was hauling hay to Powell River or just hauling cows, I loved being with him. I don't know what it was about that truck, but it could put me to sleep almost before we hit the highway. I would try and try to stay awake, but after doing the head bob for about 20 minutes Dad would send me to the sleeper to have a nap.
This Fall I finally decided I should get my class 1 license. After passing my learners test I was on the road hauling cows, with him in the passenger seat. The first thing I said when I got into that drivers seat was "OK Dad, I'm not going to be super great at this, so don't yell at me." to which he responded "I'm not going to yell at you... unless you do something really stupid."
That was the way he was though, sometimes quick to anger but even faster to forgive or apologize.
The 4H club was a huge part of Dad and our lives. He was involved with the club from an early age up until his late teens and later on when all 5 Clifton kids joined the local beef club. He lived by the 4-H motto "learn to do by doing" so if you didn't know how to do something, like run a piece of equipment, he would tell you to hop in and run it until you figured it out.
M - Dad loved buying and selling things. As our Mom can attest, he would constantly have pages and pages of ads printed out off from the buy and sell websites that he thought were good deals, whether he need them or not.
"Searching for the deals is the best part" he would say " once the deal is made the fun is over" We would be sitting on the couch watching a movie, and Dad would be scanning kijiji and on the computer behind us. Suddenly Dad would say into his flip phone, "Hi it's Brad Clifton calling form Keremeos, I'm interested in your tires that you have for sale. Are they still available?"
In our family, lunch was the biggest and most important meal of the day. Dad would often phone Mom at 12 o'clock and say "Hey Dianne how much lunch do you have? Is it okay if the hay truck driver come for lunch?" Mom had always made extra, and would set another plate on the table. With Dad's welcoming heart and storytelling abilities, and Mom's good cooking it is the best place to enjoy a hot lunch after working outside. Dad and I shared a lot of hellos and goodbyes as I live out of town He always made sure to return from the feedlot to give me a big bear hug and kiss goodbye and send me on my way.
JR - He was always honest and fair to everyone, and spoke his mind, even though that would occasionally get him in trouble, you always knew where you stood with Dad.
He was kind, compassionate, and the humblest man I have ever known. He was capable of so many things, but would never boast about it. Dad loved what he did and was an extremely hard worker. He would never take time off because to him, everyday was a holiday. He loved to talk to people and tell stories and jokes, and had a warm infectious laugh that could fill up a room.
M - I would like to include an analogy that one of my dearest friends said this week "There are small trees that fall in a forest that few people hear, and the forest is quick to recover. But Dad was a very big tree with deep roots and large interwoven branches. We, the forest, are going to take a very long time to recover."
Our Dad's memory will live on, through all his wonderful deeds and the people's lives he has touched.
He taught us so many things and made us who we are today. You will forever be missed, and forever be in our hearts.
