Obituary of Gregory Clarke

Gregory Clarke
1957 ~ 2024

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gregory Elliott Clarke. He was born in Prince Albert, SK to parents Thomas (Bud) Clarke and Heather (Bendle) Clarke on June 23 in 1957. He grew up in Prince Albert, SK, Sidney, BC, and MacDowall, SK. As a young man Greg was an avid reader and liked to tinker with all his “Gearhead” buddies on anything that had a motor. He followed in his parent’s footsteps when he discovered a love for golf.

After graduating from PA Tech (Carlton) Greg decided to pursue his passion for mechanics and moved to Saskatoon. He achieved his Journeyman in Automotive Mechanics under the watchful eyes of his boss and mentor Joe Knight.

In 1985 Greg married Lyla (Hanson). In 1987 the opportunity presented itself for Greg and Kevin Eggum to purchase the service station where they were working from Joe, and thus began the entrepreneurial phase of his life. Greg attended managerial classes at the University of Saskatchewan to augment his new role of business owner.

In 1989 Greg and Lyla bought their first Emma Lake property. A year later they had a daughter, Elizabeth.

Greg spent the next several years bringing the 100-year-old log trapper’s cabin back to life. Many good times were had in that little cottage with both family and friends. In the summer there was boating, fishing, and golfing and in winter, there was sledding.

In 1992 Greg and Kevin decided to part ways professionally and Greg purchased his own Petro Canada station. Son, Graeme was born in 1993 and a year later when Petro Can closed the Massey Place location Greg bought the Fast Gas station on Broadway and Taylor Street.

In 1995 Greg decided to leave the stresses of business ownership behind and he accepted the position of Service Manager at Leighton Chrysler in Rocky Mountain House, AB. Four and half years later Greg was offered the Service Manager position of a larger Chrysler dealership in Ponoka and the family was on the move again.

During Greg’s years in Alberta, he discovered a love of camping, quadding and hiking. Many adventures were had with friends in the Rocky Mountains and surrounding foothills.

In 2006 Greg accepted the position of Service Manager at Anderson Motor’s in Prince Albert and the family returned to Saskatchewan. Although they chose to live and work in the city, the call of the lakes was too great and Greg purchased a lot at Emma Lake. After clearing the land, he had an old house moved onto it. With the help of family and friends the house was completely renovated, and the property transformed into the perfect lake getaway.

Lyla’s dream had always been to live in a log house and in 2012 Greg and Lyla made that dream come true. Their house in Prince Albert and cabin were both sold, and the family moved to an acreage close to Emma Lake with a lovely little log house on it. Greg designed a garage/shop and he put his newly acquired construction skills to use. With the help of his buddies and their sons they built the structure themselves.

Greg took advantage of this large new workspace and taught himself how to design and build log furniture, from tete-a-tetes to beds, dining room tables, and chairs. His interest in woodworking projects continued and he added sign making to his repertoire.

Greg was always up for an adventure and in the early days much time was spent travelling to various destinations in cars/trucks and camping in his preferred trailer, a baby Boler. As the kids grew up flying away on warm winter getaways with Lyla became his new favorite thing. After trips to different locations he determined that his destination of choice was Hawaii. Many trips were made to the islands with family and friends over the years. Thankfully, Greg managed to make one final trip to Hawaii in December of 2023, despite being ill.

Greg is predeceased by his mother Heather and father Thomas. Left to mourn him are his wife Lyla, two children Elizabeth and Graeme, daughter-in-law Becky, and three grandchildren Kinley, Kaybree, and Kohen, his sisters Donna and Bev, and their husbands, Myron Bodnar and John Theakston, as well as several nieces, nephews and their children.

At Greg’s request a celebration of life will be held for him this summer. Special thanks go out to the staff of Rose Garden. The care and attention they bestowed upon Greg will be forever appreciated. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Rose Garden Hospice in Prince Albert, SK at Donate Now - Rose Garden Hospice Association (canadahelps.org).

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Gray’s Funeral Chapel, (306) 922-4729 Paula Hanson, Funeral Director.