Tribute

Roger Gaston Clement, born in the province of Quebec, on October 15th, 1938 passed away

on April 18th, 2016.  A life well lived.         

        Roger was dearly loved and appreciated by his families in the East and in the West. 

Roger put love, kindness, honesty, understanding, beauty and happiness into this world. He lives

on in our hearts.  We remember his smiles – his easy laughter.  We can only hope that what Roger

put into this world, will gently follow him to where he is now. 

     Roger was Papa. He was father, husband, best friend, brother, uncle, cousin.  He was Papa to

three generations, dearly loved by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. His loss is

felt deeply by all of his family and friends. 

     Roger spent his childhood in Northern Quebec with his parents Marie-Ange and Ernest and his

many well -loved brothers and sisters.  He often spoke fondly of those family years. We loved to

hear the stories. He spoke of the smell of the horses in the barn, of the baking bread and pies

and how Mama let the baking cool on the window sill. He spoke of how hard Mama worked and

how they were so tempted to take the pies off the window sill … or, maybe those boys really did take

one or two pies?  

       Roger spoke of his family, their closeness, their ability to laugh with each other.

They had a solid bond even though Roger had been in the West for nearly fifty years.

Only last week, he showed me again, his treasured album of their Christmas visit, which was so

special to him.  A trip of a lifetime. He explained each photo carefully.  He said his family was

'crazy happy' – that they laughed and laughed. What a wonderful legacy. 

     Roger first moved to the city of Montreal, where he was a waiter and bar tender.   He eventually

moved to B.C. with his son, Andre. 

     He worked in restaurants and worked several years at the Black Forest Restaurant where he

made life-long friends and met our Mom, his wife, Betty.  They shared more than one restaurant

venture…. or should I say adventure? These included owning the Deer Lodge in Harrison, B.C. 

Roger was 'chef'.  Where ever Roger went, there was laughter, fun, good food, and occasionally

good drinks. People loved him – loved his wonderful spirit – his  'j'oie de vivre'.  

     Roger and Betty ventured out once more  with the “R and B Drive- In”.  So many people knew

them both in those years – his famous burgers and home fries. The final years of enterprise were

with the “R and B Gourmet Hot Dog Stand” in Harrison.  

         Betty passed away just before her birthday in  December 2007. Many good memories of  happy and hilarious days live on. “We go now Coco…” Roger always said, when he was ready to head home. 

     Roger had a supportive partnership with Dorothy for nine years. He truly valued his

friendships with Dorothy's family.  Many times he said that they were very good people.  He

appreciated his hospital visits with Chris and Mike. 

      One gift that touched us all was his ability to develop and hold friend and family relationships.

He was a 'family man' in the true sense of the word.  He adored babies and took special joy in

their arrival.  As they grew older, he would throw them high into the air.  They would giggle and

scream and beg for more… even when the light in the kitchen broke.  On a family camp out, Roger

rolled the little girls in a giant piece of foam.  He told them they were a TACO.  He carried them to

the top of a hill, then rolled them down. They loved it.  A golden memory.       Roger has been a wonderful role model. We have all learned from his words spoken from the

heart.  We learned from his gentle caring ways, his love of life and laughter, his honesty, his pride,

and his integrity.  Roger has left this world a better place.  He has made an imprint on all our lives

and will always live in our memories.  

     In Roger's own words, often spoken, Life is Beautiful.