MATHESON, LAWRENCE “CLYDE”, May 29, 1935 – May 22, 2024, passed away peacefully at the age of 88, with his family by his side.

Clyde was born the fifth child of Florence (Osgoode) and Samuel Matheson. He was raised on 5th Avenue A South in Lethbridge, where he and his childhood and life long best friend Tim Myers managed to remodel a few burning barrels with their chemistry set. After graduating from LCI, Clyde, based on some fatherly advice, joined the Canadian Navy “to see the world”. He served in the Navy as a meteorological observer on the east coast at HMCS Shearwater in Nova Scotia and on the HMCS Ontario at Naden, Victoria, BC. He left the Navy in 1956 and transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force, received a commission as a Flying Officer/Navigator and spent 6 years in Greenwood, NS with the 405 Squadron, flying and patrolling the North Atlantic looking for Russian submarines, finding one during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He left the Air Force in 1963 and enrolled into the University of Alberta. In 1964 he married Dorothy Evans of Fort Macleod and in 1968 he graduated from the U of A with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and practiced dentistry, firstly in High River but eventually moving back to Lethbridge, and then ultimately retiring in 1997.

Clyde enjoyed the outdoors, hiking the many trails of Waterton, Southern Alberta and Glacier Park while climbing a few mountains along the way. After retiring Clyde and Dorothy, in their Road Trek motorhome, covered most of the highways in the Western United States and Canada. They also travelled to most of the Canadian provinces, especially enjoying Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. They also journeyed into the NWT and the Yukon, taking the Dempster Highway to Inuvik.

Clyde also enjoyed swimming and scuba diving. He dove throughout Canada, on the West Coast in Haida Gwaii, Vancouver Island, as well as chilly Waterton Lake, and Nova Scotia, but especially enjoyed the warm waters of Bermuda, Key West Florida, Grand Cayman, Mexico, and Hawaii. In the winters he skied and played hockey. Clyde was a founding member of the Lethbridge Bonecrusher Oldtimers Hockey Club and enjoyed tournaments across Canada and in Europe with that great group of people, some of them already or having become lifelong friends.

Clyde and Dorothy proudly raised two incredible children, a daughter Leslie and a son Dan. During their younger years Clyde was involved with their activities, the Lethbridge Figure Skating Club and Lethbridge Minor Hockey. As time went on, he especially enjoyed the figure skating, soccer, track & field, softball, and hockey of his grandkids.

Clyde is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dorothy, daughter Leslie of Summerland, BC, son Dan and daughter-in-law Shawna (Klics) of Everett, Washington, and his much-loved grandchildren; granddaughter Macy, attending Medical School at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, granddaughter Bryn, PhD Candidate at University of Calgary in Biomedical Engineering and grandson Blake, playing junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He is also survived by his brother Sam of Lethbridge, sister Joyce Dziedzic of Lethbridge, his sisters-in-law Eunice David of Lethbridge, and Jackie Evans of Lethbridge, as well as many loved nieces and nephews.

He is predeceased by his parents Florence & Samuel Matheson, his brothers Bill (2006) & Bud (1988), sisters-in-law Marjorie Matheson (2004), Margaret Matheson (2023), Elsie Kavel (2020), his brothers-in-law Mike Dziedzic (2005), Ken David (2017), Percy Evans (2018), Bill Kaval (2019), and by a nephew Samuel Matheson (2024).

Clyde lived a full life with grace and a wonderful sense of humour and says his only regret is not getting to see his grandchildren fulfill the promise of exciting futures.

Clyde and Dorothy would like to thank the many caring doctors & nurses who assisted him and especially those at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre, along with those caring individuals in Home Care and Palliative Care.

At Clyde’s request there will be no funeral service. Flowers are gratefully declined. If so desired, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Family & friends are invited to join us as we celebrate our husband, father, Papa, brother, uncle and friend at his and Dorothy’s residence on Saturday, June 29, 2024 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. We are honoured to celebrate Clyde in the way he asked us to – casually, joyfully and together.

 

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2024-05-22
• Location : Alberta