On November 16, 2010, Clive Hayes Roberts of Fredericton passed away peacefully at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital, he was 91 years of age. Clive is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Gene Marie (Bridges); daughter, Susan Roberts and son in law, Jorge Nunes of Fredericton; daughter, Mary Roberts and son in law, Tim Cunningham of Oakville, Ontario; grandchildren, Daniel and Keighley Nunes; brother, Harry Roberts of Halifax, Nova Scotia and numerous nieces and nephews. Clive is predeceased by his sisters, Lillian Raynard and Margaret Roberts and brothers, Conrad, Darrell and Donald Roberts. Clive was born in Argyle, Nova Scotia on May 12, 1919 to the late Ivan and Margaret (Randall) Roberts. He entered the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 and served in England and India until 1945. He graduated from Mount Allison University in 1951 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts where he studied under such renowned artists as Lawren Harris Jr. and Alex Colville. He returned to Mount A. in 1969 to receive his Bachelor of Education. When Clive became the first Art Director for the Fredericton School Board in 1952, his enthusiasm and energy infected pupils, teachers and principals, and set the foundation for a school art program that quickly became the envy of schools around the Maritimes. Clive's vision for his program was to introduce and expand art education as a viable and regular part of the school curriculum on a par with reading, writing and arithmetic. During this time, school art projects quickly spilled out from the classroom into the community with the painting of storefront windows in the business community, an exhibition of children's art work at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, permanent displays arranged for the Children's wing at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital, renovated City Hall and the Lobby of the Centennial Building. In 1981 Clive retired from the School Board after close to 30 years to concentrate on work as a watercolour artist. Clive specialized in landscapes depicting scenes from his beloved childhood home in South West Nova Scotia as well as areas in an surrounding Fredericton. Many people were especially fond of his comic renderings of gentle cows and their surroundings. Clive's work is represented in a collection of the Canada Coucil, in the Privince of New Brunswick Permanent Collection, in Collections at the University of New Brunswick as well as the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital and in private and corporate collections throughout Canada and abroad. His last public exhibition was held at the Sign of the Whale in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to celebrate his 90th birthday. In his later years Clive served as a dedicated member of the School Days Museum committee and he was a faithful volunteer at Pine Grove Nursing Home. He was a member of Brunswick Street Baptist Church. Clive will be missed by all the lives he touched over the years both professionally and personally.
Visitation will be held at McAdam's Funeral Home on Saturday, November 20th, 2010 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm. A memorial service will take place at 2:00 pm on Monday, November 22nd, 2010 in the J.A. McAdam Memorial Chapel. Rev. Greg Geldart will be officiating.
Special thanks to the wonderful nursing staff at the Palliative Care Unit at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital and to Dr. Gordon MacDonald, Clive's family physician. In lieu of flowers, donation can be made to the charity of your choice. www.mcadamsfh.com 458-9170.