Obituary of Gordon Albert Ratcliffe

Gordon Albert Ratcliffe (Al)

June 24, 1944 - August 30, 2024

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Al Ratcliffe at 80 years of age. 

Al was born in Victoria , BC on June 24th, 1944 then at 5 years old his family moved to Saanichton, BC. He lived there for 10 years before moving to big berry farm where he lived out his teenage years before joining the Navy.

After the Navy, Al was adventurous and traveled all over the place including California and Mexico. He finally settled down in Toronto where he met his bride Margaret. They were married in 1979, and later welcomed their first daughter Brandy on July 22nd 1982. Then in 1987, Al and Margaret decided to move west for a simpler life. They didn’t have a specific spot in mind but fell in love with Taylor, BC where they chose to raise their family.

Together they purchased a home with some land and were able to pay for it in cash with the sale of their home in Toronto. On August 29th, 1989 Naomi was born and completed the Ratcliffe family. During this time, Al and Margaret had a u-pick strawberry farm that lasted two seasons and a giant garden that the girls had to weed and harvest whether they liked it or not.

Al had a few different companies that serviced and repaired camp trailers. He employed his entire family with various jobs. After he retired he was restless and decided to get a nightshift job at Walmart where he worked until he was 79 years old. Due to health reasons he had to go on a medical leave but he had every intention of going back. 

Al was very handy and knew how to fix anything and everything. In Taylor he jacked up his house and dug out a basement as well as dug a large 6 foot deep sewer with only a shovel and his bare hands. He lost 30lbs that summer. He shingled his roof by himself along with many other projects he took on.

Al was very passionate about being a devoted Jehovah’s Witness and made many lasting friendships within his congregation. He always made sure to share his beliefs and knowledge of God with others. Al loved his friends and family deeply and would help them whenever they needed a hand.

Al was a very honest  man who always tried to do the right thing. Brandy remembers when she was young on a shopping outing with her Dad at Zellers and he purchased a fairly big order and the teller told him it came to under $10. Dad spoke up and said that there has been a mistake and that everything needs to be scanned again as he wouldn’t feel right making the purchase at the wrong price. This is just one example of Al’s honesty and integrity.

Al was very frugal and loved a good deal. He never missed out on an opportunity to use a coupon or a rewards card. Providing for his family was something he always held in high regard. There was always a roof over everyone’s head, food on the table and clothes on their backs.

He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. Family meant everything to him. His presence and ability to make everyone smile was second to none.

Al was always was full of puns and ‘Dad jokes’ and loved to make people laugh. His jokes weren’t always funny but his laugh was contagious and you couldn’t help but chuckle along with him.

Al is predeceased by his father Robert Ratcliffe, his mother Phylliss Little, his younger sister Lillian Donovan and his nephew Peter Bextrud.

He is survived by his wife Margaret, his daughters Brandy Ratcliffe, and Naomi Indelicato (Paul). As well as his sister Roberta Bextrud and his beloved grandchildren Kayda Ratcliffe, Jasmine Shular, Hayden Indelicato and Berlyn Indelicato, and several nieces and nephews.

Al has left a great legacy behind and will be greatly missed and never forgotten. 

Always in our hearts ❤️

A memorial service for Al will be held Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024 at 6:30 PM from the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. All are welcome.