Obituary of Clayton Robert Smith

Clayton Robert Smith, born on September 1, 1921, in Hoyt Station, N.B., passed away April 11, 2013 at the Ridgewood Veterans Hospital in Saint John, NB, where he had been residing since Jan. 2012. He is the husband of the late Vera Gladys Smith. He is survived by his five children; Nelson, Lorraine, Valerie, Dwight and Virginia; seven grandchildren; Ben, Orion, Andrew, Jean-Benoit, Sabrina, Jalisa and Emily; and two Great-Grandchildren; Eevie-Joy, and Nioki. and his sister Eva Smith. Clayton joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and served overseas from 1943-1946. He served in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. He received the The 1939-1945 Star, the France and Germany Star, 1939-1945 War Medal, the Voluntary Service Medal. He later received a medal for the liberation of Holland and a medal from the Corps of Commissionaires for 10 years of excellent service. After the war, he worked for several years for the CN Railway, then worked together with his wife in several businesses and was employed for many years at the TD Bank. After his retirement, he spent 16 winters in Florida with his wife and they were active in many social clubs and sport teams. He played golf and tennis and won a silver medal every year in tennis competitions. Clayton is survived by cousins, Lois and Carol (McCorkle), Robert and Richard King and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by four brothers and sisters; Viola, Eileen, Newton, and Murray. Clayton was a great husband to Vera whom he married on June 8, 1949. He was always very supportive of her business endeavors. They spent 63 great years of devotion to each other. Dad was an example of a great father with a gentle spirit whom we all looked up to and admired for his guidance. His family will miss him dearly and cherish forever all the great memories. According to their wishes, Clayton and Vera will be buried together in the Field of Honor in Cedarhill Cemetery at a later date when all the family will gather in Saint John. -------------------------------------------------------------- A LETTER TO CLAYTON IN GERMANY by his mother Lottie May (Van Wart) Smith I’m sitting alone in my kitchen in Canada; land of the free; But my thoughts are with you and your buddy In far away Germany. How peaceful and quiet it seemeth, The snow it still covers the hills, The rivers still frozen and quiet, Just the faint distant murmur of rills. The sap running free in the maple, Will mean that winter is past; How I wish that the spring with its coming Meant the old war was over at last. That Easter, when new life is dawning In hamlet, city and field; The enemy would know he was beaten And the guns forever would be still. I hope that you both keep together, And the day when the world is set free; You’ll sail back across the Atlantic, To Canada, your homeland, and me. For remember when each day is dawning, That the sun shineth o’er all; Then I pray, for your safety to Jesus, Who heareth his children’s faint call. So still keep your faith and your courage, Keep smiling, brave soldiers, for me; Who waits in the quiet and stillness For her heroes, from lands overseas. -------------------------------------------------------------- TIME Poem written by grandson Andrew Clayton Smith What is time? Science defines time as the perpetual Motion between two objects. But isn't Time more than that? Time seems to be an integral part of our lives. We are always dealing with Time. Sometimes, we have too much Time, Other Times, we hardly have enough Time to complete all we desire. Time is our enemy, Time is our friend. Yet, we simply have too little Time on this Earth. So make the most of the Time you have. -------------------------------------------------------------- Donations to the "Crop for a Cure" which is a cancer charity would be appreciated by the family. Their daughter, Valerie, has been fundraising for this cause for several years in BC and this year it will be in honor of Clayton and Vera. Donations can be sent to: Crop for a Cure 622 Front Street, Suite 607, Nelson, BC V1L 4B7 Please include your return address for tax receipt purposes.