Charles Joys

Charles Clifford JOYS

No one who knew Dad would ever think to call him by the stuffy moniker of Charles – he was simply Cliff. A working class lad from Hessle, East Yorkshire, he came to Canada in 1953 with his best army mate Fred Hargreaves and $100 in his pocket. Dad always referred to it as the best decision he ever made.

 

Dad had spent seven years in the British Army with the 8th Royal Tank Regiment; an experience that left him disciplined, loyal and resilient. His training as a tank commander led him to a 40-year career as a truck driver in Toronto; retiring from Kingsway Transport in 1992 as a life member of Teamsters Local Union 938.

 

Fittingly, it was at his job as a delivery driver for Canada Dry back in 1954 that he met Elizabeth "Liz" Brown, a young English immigrant herself, who worked in the front office. They married in 1955 and set up a home together on Bathurst St. where they ran a small boarding house for extra money. Dad was rarely without a second source of income. For years he worked evenings as a newspaper delivery driver and on the dock at the Globe and Mail. Dad's strong work ethic and hard work allowed him to buy a house, a car and raise four children without any of us kids feeling deprived or anyone having to do without.

 

But it wasn't all work for Dad, he was a lifelong member of the Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 13). Many a Saturday was spent hoisting a pint and throwing a game of darts at the branch on Kingston Rd., where he had many lifelong friends. Dad enjoyed rounds of golf and yearly golfing holidays to Myrtle Beach with his Legion pals. After moving to Mississauga ten years ago, Dad was quick to join the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 82 and the Mississauga Seniors' Centre and made many new friends. Dad always delighted in the simple pleasures in life – a good cup of tea, classical music on the radio, a game of cribbage and a thorough read of the day's newspapers

 

Dad's inner strength and resourcefulness helped him to weather life's struggles. He was able to be the primary caregiver to his beloved wife Liz through a decade of ill health with good humour and an unwavering sense of duty. He was stoic in the face of his own battle with prostrate cancer; even as the disease progressed he remained pain free. After 20 years of careful medical management of his cancer Dad passed away in hospice care at Ian Anderson House in Oakville on Monday, April 11, 2016.

 

Cheers Dad. We love you and miss you.

 

Cliff was predeceased by his wife Elizabeth "Liz" in 2002. He leaves behind his children and their spouses: Chris (Mary Jean), Lorraine (Adonis), Russell (Lucy) and Holly (Stephen). Proud Grandad to Adam (Yuki) and Stephen (Yurie); Dennis, Ellie, Dee Dee and Mary Stephanie; Oliver and Carlos; Rowan and Maeve.