Obituary for Cliff Ratcliff
Cliff Ratcliff
January 16, 1941 – July 6, 2022
Our family is heartbroken to share that our dad Cliff passed away after an extremely swift bout with cancer that came out of the blue and left our lives changed forever.
A beloved husband, dad, grandpa, uncle, cousin and friend, our dad led his life with kindness, humour, hard work, and adventure.
Born in Calgary to Edith and Lyman Ratcliff, he was the youngest of siblings Dennis, Helen, Betty, Mary, and Carol. He lived in the city until he was six, when his family moved to the beautiful countryside near Bergen. He felt at home in this area and we remember his stories of riding horses to school with his sister Carol (who sometimes sat in front and crouched right before they reached a clothesline, never telling her little brother to duck).
At Sundre High School in 1957, dad met his one-and-only lifetime sweetheart, our mom Wilma. He quickly became a fixture at the Turnbull household and he was loved and warmly accepted into the family by her parents, Bill and Nora. Cliff and Wilma were married in Olds on August 16, 1963 and have been together now for 65 years. He loved and relied on our mom in many ways through their decades together and he trusted her through and through. He was very protective of her and even during his illness, he was concerned for her wellbeing and asked her every day if she was doing okay.
Cliff took on the role of dad for the first time in July 1964 with the arrival of Don, followed by Bill in May 1966 and lastly, Sheryl in February 1972.
Dad’s influence on each of us was profound and he helped shape who we are. He was easygoing and understanding, leading by a firm but fair hand. He was great with kids; warm and encouraging, and one of his favourite activities as a dad was coaching Bill’s hockey team. The boys of the Crossroads Community teams he coached looked up to him and to this day, many of them fondly recall Mr. Ratcliff. Don and dad could often be found on the golf course together; the best golfer of the day was always dependent on who you talked to! Dad took great delight in beating Don on the links. For Sheryl, he was simply the best dad in the world and was always there to give good advice, to help and support, and to share a bottle of wine and a talk.
Dad was a gifted artisan and builder and had a lifetime career as a machinist and welder, owning and operating his own businesses: Ensteel (Calgary) in the 1980s, and Hometown Machine (Sundre) in the 1990s. After his retirement, he took on a job as an expediter at Tartan Engineering; a job that he enjoyed immensely that kept him feeling young and valued for his contributions. He had a strong work ethic and was a mentor and friend to many throughout his working years.
Dad’s creative talents also carried through to his hobbies and interests. He loved music and could pick up many instruments and play a tune by ear, whether it was on a piano, ukulele, or banjo. He was brilliant on the accordion, and he led us on singalongs around the campfire every summer at Woods Lake during our annual holiday with the Turnbulls. Speaking of music, he was the spitting image of Elvis Presley in his younger years and he got a kick out it when strangers would shout “Elvis lives!”
He also enjoyed woodcarving and toiled away at home for hours, creating horses, bears, dolphins, moose, and a dragon and old truck for his youngest grandsons. We proudly display his artwork.
In his 40s, he skipped the usual mid-life crisis scenarios and instead followed his joy by going gold mining. For two summers, our family joined him at a mine in the Quesnel area where he mined for gold using the ‘Green Machine,’ one of his many inventive creations that he designed and built. He was in his heyday, working away out in nature with his sons by his side and everyone having the task of helping investigate what was in the sluice box.
One of his proudest accomplishments was rebuilding his 1930 Chevrolet roadster that became one of his most precious belongings. The truck was originally purchased by our grandpa Bill Turnbull for uncles Leonard and Robert to learn how to drive. When it stopped running, it ended up in the farm slew along with various other out of order things. Dad asked to have it, and spent years rebuilding it to its original specs, spending countless hours researching, machining and welding its parts, and painting it (first, a dark green, and then to its original blue). He had a great time driving it in parades, always smiling and giving the distinctive horn a honk to say hello to the seniors that especially appreciated his truck. Rumour has it that the original owner of the roadster was Cappy Smart, Calgary’s fire chief from 1898 – 1933.
It’s difficult to put in words what an engaged and special grandpa he was; always interested in attending his grandkids’ choir or school performances, baseball practices, lacrosse or football games. He was proud, present and supportive, helping fix cars, building quadruple paper airplanes, helping load up horses, or just sitting together and enjoying the magic of ordinary days in each other’s company. He is loved and will be forever missed by grandkids Marshall (Shelby), Garrett, Sheldon, Natalya, Nina, Phoenix, Dexter, and great grandson Brantley.
Dad loved passing on his knowledge of welding and enjoyed talking shop and puttering in the garage with his son-in-law Eldon (Sheryl). His daughter-in-law Barb (Bill) taught him about Czech Christmases and to act surprised when Baby Jesus rang the doorbell at midnight with gifts. In turn, Dad taught Barb how to back up and park Louis’s horse trailer – they bonded over these outings and shared a lot of laughs. Over the years, dad had spent many hours camping, playing cards and visiting with Kathie (Don). Family was the most important thing to dad and he showed us in a multitude of ways how much he loved us.
In the days since his passing, we have heard such an outpouring of love from his family, friends and acquaintances who loved his mischievous sense of humour and the flash of his trademark dimples when he smiled. He was a favourite patient of his nurses at the Foothills Hospital, with whom he bantered and teased. One morning as a nurse tended to him, she became woozy and fainted on him. He caught her and yelled for help, telling her “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Now it’s time for us to tell him “It’s okay. We’ve got you.” We thank him for a lifetime well lived and for being everything we could ever ask for in a husband, dad, and grandpa. We love you, dad.
To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Cliff, please visit www.choicememorial.com.
January 16, 1941 – July 6, 2022
Our family is heartbroken to share that our dad Cliff passed away after an extremely swift bout with cancer that came out of the blue and left our lives changed forever.
A beloved husband, dad, grandpa, uncle, cousin and friend, our dad led his life with kindness, humour, hard work, and adventure.
Born in Calgary to Edith and Lyman Ratcliff, he was the youngest of siblings Dennis, Helen, Betty, Mary, and Carol. He lived in the city until he was six, when his family moved to the beautiful countryside near Bergen. He felt at home in this area and we remember his stories of riding horses to school with his sister Carol (who sometimes sat in front and crouched right before they reached a clothesline, never telling her little brother to duck).
At Sundre High School in 1957, dad met his one-and-only lifetime sweetheart, our mom Wilma. He quickly became a fixture at the Turnbull household and he was loved and warmly accepted into the family by her parents, Bill and Nora. Cliff and Wilma were married in Olds on August 16, 1963 and have been together now for 65 years. He loved and relied on our mom in many ways through their decades together and he trusted her through and through. He was very protective of her and even during his illness, he was concerned for her wellbeing and asked her every day if she was doing okay.
Cliff took on the role of dad for the first time in July 1964 with the arrival of Don, followed by Bill in May 1966 and lastly, Sheryl in February 1972.
Dad’s influence on each of us was profound and he helped shape who we are. He was easygoing and understanding, leading by a firm but fair hand. He was great with kids; warm and encouraging, and one of his favourite activities as a dad was coaching Bill’s hockey team. The boys of the Crossroads Community teams he coached looked up to him and to this day, many of them fondly recall Mr. Ratcliff. Don and dad could often be found on the golf course together; the best golfer of the day was always dependent on who you talked to! Dad took great delight in beating Don on the links. For Sheryl, he was simply the best dad in the world and was always there to give good advice, to help and support, and to share a bottle of wine and a talk.
Dad was a gifted artisan and builder and had a lifetime career as a machinist and welder, owning and operating his own businesses: Ensteel (Calgary) in the 1980s, and Hometown Machine (Sundre) in the 1990s. After his retirement, he took on a job as an expediter at Tartan Engineering; a job that he enjoyed immensely that kept him feeling young and valued for his contributions. He had a strong work ethic and was a mentor and friend to many throughout his working years.
Dad’s creative talents also carried through to his hobbies and interests. He loved music and could pick up many instruments and play a tune by ear, whether it was on a piano, ukulele, or banjo. He was brilliant on the accordion, and he led us on singalongs around the campfire every summer at Woods Lake during our annual holiday with the Turnbulls. Speaking of music, he was the spitting image of Elvis Presley in his younger years and he got a kick out it when strangers would shout “Elvis lives!”
He also enjoyed woodcarving and toiled away at home for hours, creating horses, bears, dolphins, moose, and a dragon and old truck for his youngest grandsons. We proudly display his artwork.
In his 40s, he skipped the usual mid-life crisis scenarios and instead followed his joy by going gold mining. For two summers, our family joined him at a mine in the Quesnel area where he mined for gold using the ‘Green Machine,’ one of his many inventive creations that he designed and built. He was in his heyday, working away out in nature with his sons by his side and everyone having the task of helping investigate what was in the sluice box.
One of his proudest accomplishments was rebuilding his 1930 Chevrolet roadster that became one of his most precious belongings. The truck was originally purchased by our grandpa Bill Turnbull for uncles Leonard and Robert to learn how to drive. When it stopped running, it ended up in the farm slew along with various other out of order things. Dad asked to have it, and spent years rebuilding it to its original specs, spending countless hours researching, machining and welding its parts, and painting it (first, a dark green, and then to its original blue). He had a great time driving it in parades, always smiling and giving the distinctive horn a honk to say hello to the seniors that especially appreciated his truck. Rumour has it that the original owner of the roadster was Cappy Smart, Calgary’s fire chief from 1898 – 1933.
It’s difficult to put in words what an engaged and special grandpa he was; always interested in attending his grandkids’ choir or school performances, baseball practices, lacrosse or football games. He was proud, present and supportive, helping fix cars, building quadruple paper airplanes, helping load up horses, or just sitting together and enjoying the magic of ordinary days in each other’s company. He is loved and will be forever missed by grandkids Marshall (Shelby), Garrett, Sheldon, Natalya, Nina, Phoenix, Dexter, and great grandson Brantley.
Dad loved passing on his knowledge of welding and enjoyed talking shop and puttering in the garage with his son-in-law Eldon (Sheryl). His daughter-in-law Barb (Bill) taught him about Czech Christmases and to act surprised when Baby Jesus rang the doorbell at midnight with gifts. In turn, Dad taught Barb how to back up and park Louis’s horse trailer – they bonded over these outings and shared a lot of laughs. Over the years, dad had spent many hours camping, playing cards and visiting with Kathie (Don). Family was the most important thing to dad and he showed us in a multitude of ways how much he loved us.
In the days since his passing, we have heard such an outpouring of love from his family, friends and acquaintances who loved his mischievous sense of humour and the flash of his trademark dimples when he smiled. He was a favourite patient of his nurses at the Foothills Hospital, with whom he bantered and teased. One morning as a nurse tended to him, she became woozy and fainted on him. He caught her and yelled for help, telling her “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Now it’s time for us to tell him “It’s okay. We’ve got you.” We thank him for a lifetime well lived and for being everything we could ever ask for in a husband, dad, and grandpa. We love you, dad.
To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Cliff, please visit www.choicememorial.com.