Bob Clayton passed away quietly at home in the company of his wife Betty on Thursday morning November 12, 2015 at the age of 81 years. They had been married for over 60 years and raised three children; Gordon Clayton of Cochrane, Alberta, and sisters MaryAnn Clayton and Rene’ (BettyAnn) Clayton both of Red Deer. He is also survived by five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and his sister Sadie (Sherrie) Jones of Calgary. He was predeceased by his parents Gordon and Margaret Clayton of Vulcan, Alberta. Bob was a long-time resident of Red Deer and seasonal tenant at Spruce Bay on the shores of Pine Lake. Bob will be remembered for his congeniality, storytelling, and love for family and friends. As a young man Bob was known throughout southern Alberta for his athletic skills as a goaltender in hockey and catcher in baseball, playing on many highly competitive junior and senior men’s teams in the 1950’s. He left his home town of Vulcan, Alberta to join the Royal Canadian Air Force as a mission flight controller and spent a number of years assigned to NORAD (Northern Air Defense) in various postings such as Quebec City, Comox, B.C., Montreal, Duluth, Minnesota, and Schefferville, Quebec. Upon completion of his military career Bob became a process operator and was one of the original crew which started up the Great Canadian Oil Sands facility (now Suncor Energy) in Fort McMurray in 1967. In 1969 Bob moved his family to Red Deer to operate a Chevron gas plant west of Sylvan Lake from which he retired in 1992. He spent much of his retirement enjoying his love for sports, attending numerous tournaments, his love for travel, accompanied by family and friends on numerous trips to Hawaii, Mexico, and Southeast Asia, and his love of cooking, regularly trying new recipes. A formal memorial service for Bob will not be held at his request but a celebration of his life will be planned for the spring at Pine Lake. He will be sorely missed by family and friends but long remembered. Arrangements in care of Parkland Funeral Home and Crematorium, 6287 – 67 A Street (Taylor Drive), Red Deer. 403.340.4040.