Clayton Melvin Elhard

Clayton Melvin Elhard passed away peacefully at home on his farm east of Crossfield on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 after a brief illness at the age of 83, with family by his side.

Missing him are his wife of 59 years, Gladys; daughters, Debbie (Mike) and Karen; granddaughters, Lindsey, Leanne (Landon), and Jazmin (Ryan); and great grand-daughter Amora; sisters, Vivian and Miriam (Cliff) and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his daughter, Cathy; parents, Albert and Emily; and brother-in-laws, Ken and Norman.

Clayton attended school in Crossfield and began farming with his dad at a young age. Early on, he drove truck for Porter Trucking, then eventually started his own trucking business along with cattle and grain farming. He took great pride in being able to share that he is third generation on the Elhard family farm which was established 99 years ago.

Clayton loved spending time with family and friends, camping on weekends and taking longer vacations to Woods Lake, BC, and Sylvan Lake, where they eventually had a seasonal spot for over 35 years. He enjoyed playing baseball and hockey, as well as skidooing with family and friends . Clayton eventually took up golf, and had a membership for many years at courses in Crossfield and Sylvan Lake.

Clayton was not a big traveller and didn’t want to be away from the farm for long. He did, however, have a few memorable trips with family to Maui, Mexico, a California cruise, and the Rocky Mountaineer train trip, which fulfilled his love of trains.

Retirement for Clayton was never a consideration. He raised cattle until 2008 and then actively farmed grain until September 2022 and continued to truck gravel until early 2024. Clayton had a love of animals, including cattle, dogs and cats and enjoyed spending time with them.

He was an incredibly hard worker with a strong work ethic and an impeccable memory. Clayton loved sharing stories with family and neighbours who came by for a visit, especially about family, the farm and events around Crossfield. He will be missed as one of the oldest historians on the east side of Crossfield.

As per his wishes a private family service will be held at a later date.