Obituary of Clifford MacLachlan

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Clifford Lindsay MacLachlan. He was predeceased by his parents, Claude and Sylvia and is survived by his brother, Scott (Sandra MacBeath) and nieces Joy and Genieva, grandnieces Arwen and Skylar and his partner, Allison Stillwell. Cliff was born in Halifax on March 19, 1962. All who knew him knew of his life-long passion for sports that almost equalled his love for dogs and cars. Cliff stretched out during his teenage years reaching his height of 6’2. It was always entertaining to see his lanky frame emerge from the tiny red Mini Minor that transported him to Queen Elizabeth High School. His enjoyment of British cars no doubt started when he and his brother would ride in the imaginary “back seat” of the family’s Triumph TR4. This was in the days before safety was invented. Fast cars sometimes took second place for Cliff to flying. Being airborne was in his blood. He got his first experience flying sitting in the co-pilot’s seat of his father’s various airplanes. After university, Cliff pursued flying as a career, attending flight school as a student and then as a teacher. But the wild blue yonder beckoned and Cliff joined Provincial Airlines and stayed with the company for 27 years. As an accomplished pilot, his assignments included landing on the tricky sand beaches of Sable Island to deliver supplies to the handful of residents, coastal patrols off British Columbia for Fisheries & Oceans and a lengthy stint flying patrols off the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. Wherever Cliff called home, he made lasting working relationships and life-long friends. That is who he was — a loyal and interesting companion and friend who could and would spin great yarns with the best of them. Cliff was never one to sit still. In the rare times when he wasn’t flying, he could be spotted fishing, at the hockey rink, mountain biking, or playing basketball – a sport in which he truly excelled. He was good enough that he attended basketball camps in the U.S as a youth, played for the provincial championship high school team, and then played for Acadia University. Cliff also saw success in tennis, competing and ranking at the provincial level. He was a keen follower of Formula One and attended the Grand Prix in Montreal many times, and as a race car driver himself, undertook increasingly competitive open-wheel Formula 1600 and Formula 2000 sessions at the Jim Russell race school at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant in Quebec. All this while working and living life to its fullest. In summer, Cliff was either in or on the water. In addition to being a regular water-skier at the lakefront cottage of his cousin Peter, he was an avid swimmer and spent countless seasons on his beloved sailboat on St. Margaret’s Bay, home to the family cottage. All of this, the cars and planes and boats and sports ended when Cliff took an early retirement with the sudden decline of his health. But his vital spirit continued. Growing up, Cliff was particularly close to cousins Peter (Mosher) and Trinda Lee & Kent (MacLachlan). His art for conversation, the ensuing debate and his witty sense of humour will be sorely missed by his good friends, neighbours and coworkers who were lucky enough to have crossed his path. In the years since retirement Cliff has spent his time enjoying his home with Allison concocting ways to keep the raccoons away and selecting only the finest nuts for Fanny, the three legged squirrel. Kind, good-natured and always there to help, his absence has created an emptiness that will be impossible to fill. He will be missed by his family, friends, his community, and mostly by the love of his life, Allison. The family wishes to deeply thank the many doctors, nurses, pharmacists and hospital staff that supported Cliff’s incredible fight against four different types of Cancer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or a charity of your choice. Also please consider being a blood donor. A celebration of life service will take place later in the summer.