Obituary of Mervin James Clifford

Merv passed away peacefully at the age of 83 surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Lynda; sons, Tim (Lisa) and Dan (Pam); his three grandchildren, Wyatt (Isabel), Dustin and Dylan; and his five siblings, Ivy, Arden, Stewart (Gloria), Don (Trudy) and Gary. He was predeceased by his parents, Alexander and Pearl; brother-in-law, Alfred; and sister-in-law, Linda.

Merv was born in Lumsden, SK. and spent his childhood in many small Saskatchewan towns as a result of his dad working for the railroad. The family finally settled in Regina where he attended Scott Collegiate. He did not have much interest in school but he did have a great work ethic. At the time, he had the biggest paper route in Regina. After high school, he worked a variety of jobs, which allowed him to pursue the woman he would eventually marry. On June 6, 1964, he married Lynda Tasker in Winnipeg, MB. and settled in Saskatoon where he worked for James Tire. Merv spent his entire adult working career in the automotive repair industry owning four different service stations and 10 years as a salesman for Sargent’s Auto Electric.

In Merv’s younger years, he was involved in the church as well as serving on camp boards and he even sang in a quartet. He stepped away from the church on other pursuits but always enjoyed listening to the quartet music.

Merv and Lynda enjoyed travelling and sightseeing. Through the years, they were able to visit Britain, Italy, Mexico, and many Caribbean islands, all of the Canadian provinces and territories and all but one of the US states. Merv was an avid outdoorsman. Many stories came from his time on the water, woods and fields. He passed that passion onto both his boys and grandkids as well as many of our friends.

Merv was a helper and a teacher. He looked after his family first and gave a helping hand to those who needed when he could. He taught his boys all the lessons in life he had and now rests easy knowing those will be carried forward. 

One of many quotes from Merv was “well, we don’t have a bunch of money but we sure have a bunch of fun!”. Well said.

Merv did not want a service when he passed but rather a gathering of family and friends in the backyard to reflect and tell stories of memories we have of Merv. On Saturday, June 15, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. gather at the house for some food, refreshments, friendship and reminiscing.

The family would like to acknowledge all the staff at RUH, City Hospital and Sunnyside Nursing Home for all their care and compassion. A heartfelt thank you goes out to you all.