Derrick Cresswell-Clough

We, his family, are very sorry to tell you that DC (Rick) Clough – our rock, role model, guiding spirit and “force of nature” – passed peacefully in the night, June 28, 2023.

Rick was born in 1944, in Calgary, while his father served at CFB Lethbridge as a flight instructor. He grew up in Richmond, BC, where his family was based. After leaving school before graduation he distinguished himself at various jobs in construction and auto care before embarking on what became a truly spectacular career in business. Bitten early in life by the entrepreneurial bug, in the 1960s he co-founded Impark, a well-known and very successful parking business in Vancouver, BC, which eventually went North America-wide.

It wasn’t long, though, before Rick bought what became his true passion in life – his farm. Salishan Meadows came to be in 1974, and the rest is history. He promptly put together a small but powerful horse racing stable, which evolved into a Thoroughbred breeding operation – one of the largest and most successful in western Canada throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1994 he added an art gallery to the mix, Jenkins Showler Gallery, which became a destination location for lovers of fine Canadian art.

Then, in 2006, with development closing in on his cherished south Surrey farm, he sold it and re-created Salishan anew in south Langley, where he lived the rest of his life.

Like his life in business and horse racing, “new” Salishan was and remains spectacular – a perfect embodiment of the great man who envisioned and created it. Indeed, this was the hallmark of his life: Wherever he went and whatever he did, he left a trail of beauty, good will and love. His uncanny ability to picture something beautiful in his mind, and then bring it to life, was remarkable. Visitors to Salishan – including the many filmmakers who’ve created movies there – attest to this upon seeing it.

As for the people in his life, he has left an equally beautiful legacy. He loved his family passionately and wanted the very best for everyone in it. As for his friends, too numerous to number, he was loved and cherished as a confidante, guide, helper, role model and cheer leader. As a volunteer, he made tremendous impact as President of the BC Thoroughbred Horse Society in the 1980s and Chair of the Pacific Racing Association, which operated Hastings Park Racecourse, in the later 1990s. For his service, among many honours, he was inducted into the Jockey Club of Canada; was recognized as “Man of the Year” in White Rock, BC, where he poured countless hours of work into organizations such as the White Rock-South Surrey Foundation; and received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal as well as Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow award. He also ran numerous election campaigns, and created countless friends on both sides of the House along the way.

In his spare time, Rick loved to fish, and spent many hours on the water at Queen Charlotte Lodge, owned by his brother, Paul – he even did some guiding, which made him very proud. He loved to read, and would often boast of how many books he’d read in a given year. And he loved reading the newspaper in his shop, where he not only read but built a wide variety of beautiful things – mostly for those he loved.

Rick is survived by so many who knew and loved him: Lois, his loving wife of 38 years; his son, Derrick, and his wife, Ayesha; his daughter Cheryl, her husband, Warren and his son, Steve; his cherished grandson, Decker; his first wife, Marlene (Rob), with whom he remained great friends; his brother, Paul (Cynthia), and sister, Cheryl (Ernie); mother in law, Frieda; his sisters in law, Linda and Maureen (Elden); and his many nephews and nieces, with whom he held a special bond.

A celebration of Rick and his remarkable, well-lived life will happen as follows:

Date/Time: September 15^th, 2023, 2pm-6pm

Place: Salishan Meadows (Rick and Lois’ home), Aldergrove, BC

In the meantime, heartfelt thanks to all of you who showed your love to Rick in his final days – we really appreciate it, and we know Rick, did, too. In lieu of flowers, according to Rick’s wishes, please consider donating to the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation.

For now, Godspeed, Pop. And keep watching over us. We love you, and miss you like crazy already.