Clarence (Clare) Radis, of Edmonton, passed away at the Red Deer Hospice at the age of 85.
He leaves to mourn his daughter Janet and her sons David (Deidre) Cole and Evan Cole and David’s sons, Landon and Caiden, his grand-daughters Alexandra Radis and Savannah Radis, his brother Gus (Verna), cherished family, and dear friends and neighbours.
He is pre-deceased by his much loved wife of 55 years Phyllis, their son Greg, and three brothers.
Clarence was born in Edmonton to an Eastern European immigrant family that had settled in the Millet area on a small farm. Until the age of 6, his first language was German, and so he would often joke that he didn’t understand English, whenever he couldn’t think of the right word to use. He had 4 older brothers who sometimes caused him a bit of grief. His next in line brother took his horse one day and rode it to town and sold it! His middle brother, though, would invite him to go to the movies, and they had a good relationship well into their senior years.
Clarence’s sports skills emerged at a young age and he was awarded the medal for best athlete in his Millet high school. He continued with sports all his life, taking up golf and curling as a young adult, and later added downhill skiing and biking. In the 1960’s Clarence and Phyllis curled in many bonspiels and won many of the great prizes they used to have back then. As a senior athlete he traveled across Canada with the Senior Games, and won many awards.
Clarence’s greatest love was Phyllis. They were sweethearts for 55 years. It was a huge loss for him when she died in 2012. They met when Phyllis started school in Millet in Junior High. Clarence said he saw her, and said to himself, “Who is that girl?!” He pursued her, shyly at first, but by the end of high school they were sweethearts, and got married the next year.
They started their life together in Edmonton, struggling to make ends meet at times. Soon Janet appeared on the scene. Phyllis continued to work, and by then Clarence had started his career in the warehouse at General Electric. Greg appeared a few years later while they were living in north Edmonton. Clarence quickly rose up the GE ranks and ended up being a top salesman with the company. When GE decided to shift focus in their Edmonton operation, he left and went into sales with an independent lighting company. Janet remembers having the coolest electrical appliances and lighting in their homes. In the early 1970’s they bought an acreage just south of Winterburn and built a new home. The kids were excited because they each got to get a dog!
One day, Janet saw a job resignation letter on the dining room table and thought, “What! Dad is quitting his job?!” Well, along with a few silent investors, Clarence was starting his own electrical supply company, Electrical Wholesalers (Edmonton) Ltd. It grew from a small store downtown off 105 St. to a large supply warehouse in the west end. Hitting the boom of the 70’s, Electrical Wholesalers supplied much of the electrical that went into West Edmonton Mall. Clarence was a kind and considerate boss, and his employees loved working for him. Some were still in touch over 30 years later. And Electrical Wholesalers is still in operation.
With early retirement on his 51st birthday, Clarence and Phyllis established the routine of their daily life. They would do everything together. Golf, curl, cook, travel a bit, and excitedly welcome grandchildren. They had an acreage by the golf course at Pigeon Lake that they developed and later sold when they bought a cottage on Silver Beach. Taking care of 2 homes took up a lot of their time, but they were homebodies, and were both up for tackling any home maintenance projects that presented themselves. Right to the end, you could always ask advice on how to fix or do anything around the house. Having the lake property created a gathering place for their family, where they had many great barbeques and Thanksgiving dinners.
Besides sports, Clarence had a passion for cars. He loved having a nice car and would change them rather frequently. At different times, he also had a camper van that was used mainly for ski trips, a truck, a red 2 seat sports car, and even an SUV for a short while. He would drive up surprising everyone with the newest one. A nephew recently said that some of his cars are now very desirable collector cars.
After Phyllis passed away Clarence found enjoyment in his sports. His last few years with the Rocky Mountain Senior Ski Club brought him many great memories, friends, and fun on the slopes. He continued to curl at the Saville Centre and golf with Northern Alberta Senior Association. He welcomed a couple great grandchildren that added more joy to his life. The Red Deer family always enjoyed it when he came down for a visit.
When cancer appeared, he met the challenge. He made it through the terrible effects of treatment, and was able to enjoy some more time with his friends and family. The pandemic was the monkey wrench that all of us have had to deal with but he continued on in his usual determined way, learning how to buy groceries online and having video chats with family.
It was a surprise recently when the cancer had spread and his health declined quickly. Fortunately though, the Red Deer Hospice had a room, and Clarence was able to finally ‘downsize’ to a lovely little suite there. That enabled daily visits by members of his family.
Clarence’s family would like to thank many people. The great sports’ friends of late, and the caring neighbours both at Silver Beach and in Cameo Park. Long-time friends from ‘back in the day’ that continue to keep in touch, and especially his neighbour Don who Dad chatted with every day.
A private graveside service will be held in Edmonton at Rosehill Cemetery.
Memorial Donations made be made to Meals on Wheels (Edmonton), Red Deer Hospice, KidSport Edmonton Fund, or a charity of the donor’s choice.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Radis Clarence “Clare 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta