My Dad..

Im not sure how well I can write a eulogy describing all the things Cliff did in his life...what I can write is how I knew Cliff as my dad.  I invite everyone to share a story about Cliff..he played many different roles in his life, and I can do my best to capture one of them..as a dad with a teenage daughter that may have made that white streak  of his a little more pronounced. :D

Cliff was a funny guy..I"m sure everybody has a story or two where Cliff was involved in some kind of something.  After my father passed away we ( his family) spent the evening reminiscing  ole 'Cliffy' stories... it felt  incredible to laugh so much after crying so many tears.  He really was quite the treat!

Cliff was the first born to Malcolm and Phyllis Carter, March 29th, 1949, in Woodstock, N.B.  There he grew up with younger siblings, Claudia and Stephen.  Shortly into adulthood, he left Woodstock to become a member of the R.C.M.P.  His first post was to be in St. John's Newfoundland.  There, Cliff met his first wife (Barbara Wells), and mother of his two children, Mark and myself, Susan.  Although their marriage did come to an end they shared some great times together, and remained in contact and friends up until the end. 

After leaving St. John's, Cliff headed to British Columbia...Vancouver became his home.  Mark and I would spend our summers with him.  I remember Expo 86 in particular.  My dad had season passes for the three of us and he took Mark and I to every single pavilion.  We went Monday to Friday until we saw it all. I also remember the roller skates he bought for me that Christmas. I was looking through an old address book of his this week..and on the inside I saw a note he had written down to himself "Susan-roller skates size 11"..i find myself trying to put myself in his shoes and imagine what life looked like from his perspective..as then he was just a little older than I am now.

I don"t know the exact time line or positions my dad held with the R.C.M.P.  I do know that his work defined his life considerably. My dad was always looking to try new and challenging roles.  When Cliff became an under cover Narcotics officer, I thought he was the coolest dad in the world. I loved telling my friends how he grew a scruffy beard and pretended to deal drugs, risking his life to get the 'bad guys'.  Of course I'm sure at the time I never really understood that he was putting his life in danger..(all parents are invisible to their kids right?) reflecting now.. he was quite brave, and I'm sure it took a lot of courage. 

Around the time I was 9, my brother and I started taking separate vacations to spend time with Cliff.  Mark would go for the summer and I chose the winter..that was when he introduced me to one of my biggest loves,  downhill skiing.  From the beginning, Cliff enrolled me in Ski Scamps at Whistler.  I so badly wanted to ski with him but that wasn't going to happen until I could keep up.  Lucky for me I picked up the sport quite fast.  As I reflect back now..this was the best time we ever spent together. He was such a beautiful, graceful skier..it was something we equally loved, enjoyed together, and never really talked about. He was nuts about the 'top to bottom run' on Whistler which would take seven minutes no stopping, tucked the whole way. It gave him the biggest rush! He always said his eyes were this wide and his bum was this tight!  We continued our ski vacations together until I was probably 15..I remember we kinda split..we were on the chairlift at Whistler, and I said "I want to  snowboard!" and my dad turned to me and said "your a Carter, and Carter's are skiers".  The next year I started snowboarding, I'm sure it broke his heart a little.. 

I moved to Vancouver with my dad when I was 16, lol..poor guy didn't know what had hit him!  All of a sudden here he was with a teenage daughter.  Those were interesting times indeed.  No matter how crazy I drove him, he tried to be the best dad he could be.  He knew the trouble teenagers could get into and so I was always encouraged to hang out with my friends at home.   My friends loved my dad.  There were times when they would come over just to sit around and talk about old cars with him.  They also knew Cliff was "the cook".  Dinner was always delicious and it was always an hour and a half after the time he said it would be ready. That was just a given.  When it rained, the bbq was pulled over the the sliding patio door..he stood inside and just reached out and cooked the steaks. I don't think I've seen anybody ever do that before. He was dedicated to a good meal. :)

As we got older, our lives went in separate directions and now, I wish I had my time back and made more of it.  Maybe sometimes I thought that my parents would remain invincible..I never thought I would be writing this today..

I am terribly sad that Cliff has passed away, that his life ended for him so young.

.I am so very thankful for all the wonderful people he has had in his life that cared about him.  He really was a special kind of person. 

Rest in Peace Dad

love 

Susan