Ronald Carleton

Carleton, Ronald Brian

1930-2019

Ron Carleton passed away peacefully with his family by his side, at the Red Deer regional hospital on Sunday April 21^st, 2019 at the age of 88. Ron will be dearly missed by his loving wife Florene and his children Debbie (Pete), Greg (Rose), Rick (Elana), Miles (Dasi), four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, Garnet and Eva Carleton, and his brothers, Wallace and Doug.  A “Celebration of Life” (for family and friends) will be held at Ron and Florene’s home, Saturday, May 4^th, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Ron was born December 25^th 1930, the youngest of three brothers. Ron grew up on a grain farm near Cabri, Saskatchewan, a prairie town with a marching band and a thriving music and creative community. He first took up playing the cornet in the local band but soon found his lifelong passion in playing the tenor saxophone.

Ron loved and remembered so fondly the many evenings he spent with his brother Doug on piano working out their musical craft. Not long after, their efforts were put to good use by their enterprising older brother Wally who began finding them dance jobs. And just like that was born a local phenomenon called the C-notes, beginning an adventure as entertainers which would draw the three brothers and their close friends Otto, Don and Ernie together into a charismatic unit which would thrill the communities of southern Sask. and beyond for twenty-five years.

A few years later the C notes hit the big time when they landed a six night per week summer long job playing in the dance hall at Clearwater lake. This allowed Ron and Doug to pursue their other great passion of flying. The door money from the previous night was used to pay for flying lessons and at age nineteen Ron earned his pilot licence, one of the first issued in Canada.

Soon after Ron’s music passion lead him to the love of his life, when he looked out on the dance floor and saw Florene Nason while playing for the St. Patrick’s Day dance in Abbey. True to their form, when Ron mustered up the courage to ask for their first dance, the ” C” notes tore into a raucous polka instead of the agreed upon slow waltz.

After five years of keeping the telephone lines, roads, runways and rails hot between Cabri and Abbey their fairy tale romance blossomed into a 65 year marriage. Moving to a farm east of Cabri, their marriage was blessed with four children and the opportunity for Ron to express his creativity, inspiring his family with his endless hours of music practise and his passion for art, painting and drawing and even wood carving out of the old cedar fence posts found in the yard. Ron’s immense creativity seemed to know no bounds when it came to helping his children explore their own interests in music and art. At one point Ron built a four man art easel for all to sit at once, encouraging each one to paint pictures in their own unique style. Another time fashioning toy guitars out of plywood, or building a model air plane large enough to sit in complete with functioning rudders.

Despite the many hardships of life on the farm, the family thrived fuelled by love creativity and the beauty of the Saskatchewan prairie. But after eighteen years it became time to move on and Ron and Florene made the difficult decision to move to Red Deer looking for new opportunities.

Renting a beautiful home on the Waskasoo Creek and with an immediate christening by the “C” Notes, everything clicked right off the bat for the family in Red Deer, soon adapting to city life, new schools and friends, and giving Ron the opportunity to put his multiple talents to use working first building holiday trailers at Travel Air and later working at the Red Deer Advisor as a Layout Artist.

But most importantly Ron threw him-self into playing music, playing pretty much everywhere and with everyone in the area for the next forty years and with his own ensembles playing two or three jobs per week for many years. Some of his proudest moments were when he had the opportunity to play with all three of his sons. Another high point was when he was able to purchase with Greg a Cessna 150 continuing his love of flying.

Plagued with health issues for the past ten years Ron receded from most activity continuing to enjoy the beauty of nature, gardening, his family and the easily identifiable sound of any airplane that might fly overhead.   

What is in a name? If a nickname is a term of endearment, then Jonny Leaverson got it exactly right one afternoon in the Cabri bar when he leaned across the table to shake Ron’s hand and exclaim “ My God! You’re Fabulous!” From that moment on, with a toast and a laugh Ron become “Fab” to a loving community who loved him for his uncompromising integrity, big heart and infallible sense of humor and wit.

To us he will always be “Dad”. Thank you Dad… for everything. We will miss you so deeply, and cherish you in our hearts forever.