A devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, athlete and mentor.
It is with extreme sadness, that we announce the passing of Albert Hector Clement (Ab). Born in Sarnia on June 11, 1931, he passed away peacefully, August 26, 2022. Ab was predeceased by his parents Remi and Louise (née Brazeau) Clement, his sister Pauline (Richmond) and his brother Raymond. Ab Clement was a naturally gifted athlete, as a youth he was a star player in Sarnia baseball, football for St. Pats High School and for the Sarnia Junior Sailors hockey team. As an adult Ab would play hockey year round and stayed involved in Old-timers hockey games, tournaments and trips as well as coach in the Sarnia Minor Hockey Association and later the Forest MHA. Of average size he was a man of high energy and well known for his physical strength, whether it was accurately throwing a football 60 yards down the field or using his strong legs and speed to skate through and around opponents while driving to the net.
Ab first worked for Dow and then joined the Canadian Oil Companies Ltd. (White Rose) which later became Shell Oil. Ab worked for Shell in the maintenance department as a millwright and later as a maintenance supervisor until his retirement.
At the age of 29, Ab took up the sport of golf and within a year he was the tournament champion for Shell Oil. Golf became his life’s focus and for many years he competed in the low handicap flight for tournaments, sometimes winning his flight as well as winning several club championships at Egremont Golf &CC. After retiring from Shell, Ab became fully immersed in golf as he partnered with the ownership of Egremont Golf &CC to manage the operations of the golf course. In the off season, Ab and Donna would go to their winter place in Florida where he would work as a course marshal allowing him to network with friends who had access to play some of the finest courses around Naples.
In 1969, Ab built his home in the lakeside community of Blue Point where you could often find him in his garage manufacturing, building or repairing just about anything, as it was his gift. He was also the driving force behind the development of a playground and tennis court in the Blue Point community park. This is where he started playing tennis and learned to perfect the art of applying “english” to the ball with cuts, spins and nasty drops over the net, much to the disfavour of his opponents. Ab enjoyed the mental aspect of sports, in serious competitions he was a fierce competitor with a precision-like focus but when competing with friends and family he enjoyed the art of gamesmanship, often cajoling someone into a decision they would later regret, and having a good chuckle about it, all part of his playful but slightly off-beat sense of humour.
In spite of some physical impairments he suffered later in life, the lost usage of a couple fingers and a struggle with the cancer radiation treatment that caused the removal of the femur bone from his hip, he still continued to compete on his one good leg, able to play a solid round of golf as well as play tennis while using a cane.
Ab is survived by his best friend and devoted wife Donna, married for 67 years. His 2 daughters Dianne (Paul), Carol (Rick) and his son Dave (Janet). His 8 grandchildren: Laura (Cameron), Steve (Andrea), Greg (Krista), Grant (Theresa), Thomas (Shera), Nathan, Maurina and Ken. His 13 great grandchildren: Heidi, Jacob, Ria, Beckett, Quinn, Jasper, Griffin, Coen, Aspen, Sophie, Vincent, Bruce and Layla.
A celebration of life will be arranged at a later date. In remembrance of Ab Clement’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made in his name to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Albert Hector Ab Clement June 11th 1931 August 26th 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Sarnia, Province: Ontario