George Albert Clark was born in 1934 in Sittingbourne, England. He was the third of five children born to parents James and Henrietta Clark, with brothers Norman, Gerald, Cyril (Joe) and Maurice. George always spoke fondly of his boyhood. He loved to tell his children and later his grandchildren the stories of old friends, adventures, and a life spent growing up in England during the war years. It was obvious from the memories he shared, and from the man George was, that he grew up in a home filled with love, happiness, dignity, respect, humility and humour. He passed these lessons along to us, and in turn we have tried our best to pass these lessons along to our own children.

He leaves behind not just mere memories, but a legacy. George was a military man, who always respected a uniform and anyone who was wearing it. As a young man in his twenties, George was stationed in Africa. In later years he took great joy in reliving his memories of that time. Those years were special to George, even though they could not have been easy. We never tired of hearing his stories about them, and he never tired of telling them. While we may have joked in later years as the retelling of these stories became more frequent, they have become part of the family lore and history. When we speak of George to his great-grandchildren, we will ourselves recall these stories, and they will serve to complete the picture of a wonderful man and a life well spent, to those too young to remember him.

Having fulfilled his duty to his country, George embarked on the next stage of his life, leaving behind his childhood home to settle in western Canada. He chose a quiet and remote farming town in the province of Alberta called Grande Prairie. It was 1959 and for many young men and women of this era, this was a time of hope and new beginnings. It was here where many would come to chase their dreams and so too, it was here where George would find his place, his peace, and his life.

In 1962, George found work at a tiny little rad shop in downtown Grande Prairie called J.D. Nelson Radiator, beginning a career that spanned four decades. He could fix anything, and usually would. He was always willing to help a soul in need, no matter who asked and no matter how busy he may have been with other things. And always, he did so with his typical good humour, gentle manner, and uncanny expertise. It is a testament to the way George worked and the way he treated the people he met, that even today his name is remembered with fondness by those he worked with, and by those he worked for. By the time he retired, you would have had a hard time finding an original old timer anywhere in the area who did not know the name George Clark. If you met him once, you would remember him forever.

It wasn’t long before George would meet, and fall in love with, Ruth. They married in 1961 and together they would build a life that lasted over 30 years, full of warmth, laughter, affection and joy. They would welcome three beautiful children into the world: Darron (April) in 1963, followed by Shaun (deceased 2019) in 1966 and Rhonda (Kevin) in 1969. Five grandchildren followed: Alex (Bev), Mitchell (Kate), Lindsay, Cassie (Josh) and Marcus. He later was blessed with five great-grandchildren, Delilah, Vance, Boone, Leon and Isabella, with a sixth on the way. In looking at the old family photos, we are reminded of all the good times the family shared together. Of course, it’s impossible to capture over 50 years of family life in only a few words such as this, but throughout our history runs a theme of love, security, happiness and the joy of family life. We remember fondly the memories of camping, hunting, exploring the countryside, cookouts and Christmas gatherings and the family cabin and laughter and trips to Dairy Queen, and the thousand other things that fill a life.

George was deeply and forever committed to his family. In the days and years to come, as we remember Dad and reflect on his many gifts to us, and we ask ourselves how Dad would want us to honour his memory, nothing would please him more than to know that through the years we have stuck together as a family.

Dad was a man of peace, and he was a man at peace. He simplified life and was rarely burdened by all the things that seem so easy to worry about. His lesson to us, and one which he repeated on several occasions, was that a person only needs three things in life to be truly happy: something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. If we can somehow find a way to make this true, then we win everything. George had a good, long, and happy life. He laughed a lot, he was loved by many, and he was respected by all who knew him. May people say as much of us after we are gone.

How do you capture someone’s life in a few words? How do you let the world know how important he was to those of us that loved him? We wonder how to describe how much love we have for our dad, or how to tell you about the millions of little things he did that made him the kind of person he was. We wonder how to convey what made him so special as a father. But we can’t because anything we say just wouldn’t be enough. George wore the title of father, grandfather and husband with pride. We proclaim loudly for the world to know that we are proud that he was our father, and George, when we say we love you, we say it with all the emotion it is possible for a human to have. Thank you for raising us with such love, so that we in turn know how to love. Thank you for preparing us for a world that is sometimes harsh, so that we have the strength to persevere and grow. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made on our behalf, so that we now know the joy of being generous. Thank you for teaching us how to be good to our fellow human beings. For all of that and so much more, we love you.

At George’s request there will be no formal service. We will honour his memory with a Celebration of Life in the spring.