Undertaker, community activist.
Born at his grandparents’ house in Winnipeg in 1929 to Emma Jackson (1895-?) and Aylmer Vernon “Vernie” Briercliffe (1890-1961), grandson of Greenwood Briercliffe, his early years were spent on the family farm at Springfield. He attended Beatrice School for his elementary education, then secondary education at Gordon Bell High School, and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture in 1951 at the University of Manitoba. He joined the Sea Cadets, and trained with the University Naval Training Division and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. In 1951, he received the Dominion Marksmen Expert Award.
In 1952, he married schoolteacher Joyce Leone Stroud (1931-2009) and they went on to have four children. They became the third generation to operate the family farm at Springfield. From 1961-1962, he attended Worshams College of Mortuary Science in Chicago, Illinois, graduating with the MuSigma Alpha Award for Excellence. In 1963, he purchased Cook’s Funeral Home in Transcona, and he and his wife ran the business for the rest of their careers.
He built a new facility in 1964 and named it the Transcona Funeral Chapel. Over the years, he built many major additions to the chapel, as well as a crematorium. He held a dual license of Embalmer and Funeral Director, was a member and past-President of the Manitoba Funeral Service Association, and a member of the Funeral Service Association of Canada and the Canadian Independent Association. At one point, he held the distinction of being the longest-serving funeral director in Manitoba. When illness forced his departure from active involvement, his business passed on to the next generation of his family.
In the summer of 1972, he built a cottage at Gull Lake and, in 1978, he and his wife moved to a new home in the country where he continued to pursue his passion for building and remodelling, including installing a swimming pool. In 2006 the couple moved to Transcona, where he participated in community events and organizations, such as the Hi Neighbour Day parades, together with his children and grandchildren; the Transcona Kiwanis Club, serving as President for two terms (1968-1969); membership in Transcona Rotary Club; and Secretary-Treasurer of the Prairie Command and Military Vehicle Association.
His last Transcona project was the planned restoration and preservation of the Canadian National Steam Locomotive 2747 in Kiwanis Park. He also restored a variety of vehicles that included a 1966 Cadillac Convertible and a Second World War 1943 60-Hundred Weight. His favourite restoration was a Second World War Harley-Davidson WLC-45. He also took up flying, first with a hang glider behind the boat and later with an ultralight plane, in which he liked to fly along the Red River Floodway. As an avid Country & Western music fan, he played his favourite music on his violin or saxophone in his younger years and enjoyed dancing. He was interested in his family history and, in 2004, coordinated a Briercliffe reunion at the original family farm at Springfield.
He died at Winnipeg on 29 October 2007 and was buried in the Transcona Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 November 2007.
Obituary [Joyce Leone Briercliffe], Winnipeg Free Press, 22 January 2009.
“William Vernon Briercliffe,” Stroud Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 28 August 2024
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
