Peter Knight Clayton

March 26, 1927 - October 29, 2022

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Peter Knight Clayton died on October 29th at his home in Williamsford, Ontario surrounded by his family. He was born on March 26, 1927 and was 95 years old. Peter was loved by all who knew him. He had a gift for connecting with everyone he met. He was born in and lived most of his life in Toronto. He was the son of Phyllis and Arthur Clayton. Peter's father was absent so he, along with his mother and older brother Jim, went to live with his maternal grandparents, Mella "Bowie" and Arthur Reginald Beaumont (ARB) Knight. Even though he grew up in the Depression, Peter had an idyllic childhood which stayed with him his whole life. As a child, he was an archery and a yo-yo champion. In the summer, the family lived on Ward's Island where they had a house. He grew up in Toronto's west end and attended Queen Victoria Public School and Parkdale Collegiate. While at high school, he worked at the local Odeon Theatre as an usher. Peter turned 18 in 1945 and so missed World War II, but he served as a Lieutenant in the 1st Locating Regiment.

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In 1953, he married Nancy Jane Charles, and they had two sons, Jeffrey and Bruce. They were happily married for 40 years. His wife predeceased him. He discovered, while at Parkdale, that he could write and he decided to work in advertising. He called and wrote the ad agency, Spitzer, Mills, and Bates, every two weeks for three years, finally getting hired in the mailroom before moving on to be a copy writer. He later moved to J Walter Thompson and then to work as a Creative Director and Vice-President at McCann-Erickson where he was in charge of the Coca-Cola account. This led to many travels around the world shooting commercials in France, Italy, and the Caribbean. In 1962, the agency moved Peter to Montreal for two years. In 1972, Peter left advertising and opened Nimbus 9 Productions with his friends Jack Richardson, Ben McPeek, and Allan McMillan. It would become Canada’s first state-of-the-art facility recording The Guess Who, Alice Cooper and many others. He later worked for Beaver Lumber and The Molson Companies, retiring when he was 65.

 

In his long 30-year retirement, Peter always had many projects on the go. He was very handy and could fix anything. As a child, he had spent many evenings in the basement with his grandfather, watching him make all manner of things, including bows and arrows, a reflecting telescope, and a bicycle generator. Peter wrote and self-published a novel, "Near Death on Nantucket," in 2005. He was a collector of antique pine furniture, and was a Sidesman and ran the soundboard at St. Clement's Anglican Church for thirteen years. He particularly loved attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans every year. Peter met Annabelle Garland in 1998, and they have enjoyed 22 years of love in their home at McCullough lake. They enjoyed the beautiful time entertaining family and friends and watching the beautiful scenery at McCullough Lake. Peter got great enjoyment from his grandchildren Abby, Carter and Cadence.

 

He leaves his beloved spouse, Annabelle, his sons Jeff (Charmagne), and Bruce (Joanne), Annabelle's children, Wade (Estelle), and Megan (Rob), grandchildren, Abigail, Carter, and Cadence, a niece and nephews. He also leaves his sister-in-law, Joan Clayton, and his cousin, Mary Louise Lamont. We are very grateful to Peter's Palliative Care Team led by Dr. Kelly Fenn and Dr. Ramsha Khan. We are particularly grateful to David Stoakley, RN who was with Peter on most of this journey.

 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer Society of Grey-Bruce, the Chapman House - Hospice of Grey Bruce, or a charity of your choice. There will be a visitation on Wednesday, November 2, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, at Garafraxa Hill Funeral Home in Chatsworth. The Service will be private. Online condolences may be expressed at www.garafraxahillfuneral.com

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