Clarence Edward was affectionately known as "Paddy." He was quite musical; he played the mouth harp,… (NI0078)
Shared Note
Shared Note: - Clarence Edward was affectionately known as "Paddy." He was quite musical; he played the mouth harp, which he tried to teach his cousin Stan Cassidy to play. He also played the accordion. Clarence lived in Norton until his death in 1994. He was still singing in the church choir at 84 years of age. He was fond of quoting the 121st and 23rd Psalms.
Uncle Clarence, as he was known to Evelyn Heber, was kind and gentle. He loved puttering in his garden and grew fantastic pole beans and beautiful gladiolas which won many prizes in flower shows. All of the Matthew R. Cassidy family worried about what would happen to Uncle Clarence if he was the last one to survive. He did fine. The townsfolk of Norton were very fond of him and he was well looked after until his death.
The funeral service for Clarence was at the Norton United Church with burial in the Riverbank Cemetery next to his father, Matthew. Presiding minister was Rev. Doug Cosman.
At Clarence's funeral service, it was noted that he liked the nickname "Bucksaw". Apparently he was a hard-working laborer in his younger days and wielded his bucksaw more efficiently than most. He knew it was time to retire when he could no longer get parts for his bucksaw.
Clarence was church caretaker for a number of years and periodically would visit the manse for supper. He was renowned for growing incredibly beautiful flowers which he would enter in contests. He would scour the seed catalogues for new varieties.
He also loved churches and church services in particular. He would attend every one he could find, walking for miles to attend. The denomination of the church made no difference.