Obituary of Clifford Rudolph Fey

Clifford Rudolph Fey passed away peacefully in his sleep after a battle with cancer on September 14, 2023 at the age of 82.

Born in Pine Falls on November 22, 1940 to Lydia (Zirk) and Henry Fey.  Clifford grew up on the farm in Glenmoor, Manitoba with his brothers Gerry and Edwin and sister Rosalie.  Cliff loved to reminisce about jobs he did and adventures he had as a young man, such as working as a cookee in a lumber camp, peeling piles and piles of potatoes every day, or his one-day long career driving a truck hauling chicken guts.  Cliff worked on the construction crew that built the streets in Windsor Park neighbourhood in Winnipeg to save up money to go to barber school.  Maybe the chicken guts that inspired him to clean up and become a barber.

Cliff met the love of his life Valerie Shumila at a social in Ladywood.  Val says he made goo goo eyes at her and that was it!   The two married in 1965 and began their 58 year adventure as husband and wife. As newlyweds, Cliff and Val moved to the village of Whytewold, where Cliff worked as a barber on the Gimli Air Force base.  They later moved to Winnipeg and Cliff opened his own barbershop in St Boniface.  Not long after establishing their home, they started their family, welcoming daughters Angela and Mindy. 

When long hair became fashionable in the late 1960s, Cliff hung up his scissors and became a real estate agent selling houses and buying his own investment properties.  His love for buying, fixing up and renting properties continued well after he left real estate and became a bus driver for Winnipeg Transit.  Cliff retired from Winnipeg Transit 1997, but never sat still, and was always working on projects around the home and at the cottage in Beaconia and later at the farm near Stead, Manitoba.

After retirement, Cliff and Val set off on many travel adventures.  Cliff didn’t really like travelling, but he let Val drag him to all the corners of the world.  Cliff’s favourite spots were hot ones – he loved basking in the tropical sun when Manitoba was under January snow.  Together they made 25 trips to Mexico, all over the US and Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Hawaii and Europe.

In later years Cliff’s adventures were closer to home at the farm near Stead, Manitoba.  He loved tinkering with projects, having massive garage sales, or just sitting and listening to the wind.  The farm was a great playground for Cliff and his grandkids.  There were many days of mischief and getting dirty and rides on the lawn tracker with Laura, Henri and Charlotte.  Spending time with his grandkids was one of Cliff’s greatest pleasures.  He was always so proud of them and loved watching them grow and delighted in every milestone.  Days before his passing he spoke about how much he loved his grandchildren and the farm and said he left a little piece of his heart there. 

Clifford will be lovingly remembered by his wife Valerie, his daughters Angela (Jerome Marchildon, Henri and Charlotte) and Mindy (Tony Lockwood and Laura). 

Thank you to the people who took such good care of him in his final days: The staff at Palliative Care Manitoba who looked after him in the home, the warm staff at Riverview Health Centre, and Dr. Peter Kuegle who was a good friend and doctor to Clifford.

In accordance with Clifford’s wishes there will be a private family gathering following his cremation.