CLIFFORD DONALD SULYMA

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

CLIFFORD DONALD SULYMA

It is with heartbreak and deep sadness that the family of Cliff Sulyma announce his passing on September 3, 2023, at the age of 73.



Cliff was predeceased by his parents, Walter and Kay Sulyma. Left to cherish his memory is his sister Sandra (Ray), niece Kathryn (Jeff) and great-nephew Luke, nephew Derek and great-niece Danella, best friend Analyn and her daughter Khristine, his aunt Adeline and many cousins.



Cliff attended George V, Elmwood High School, River East Collegiate and RRCC. Cliff joined Manitoba Health in 1970 until 1974; after which he joined the Federal Government for the next 36 years, retiring in 2010. He enjoyed his job very much, especially all the people he worked with. For Cliff, every day was a happy day.



Cliff was a true sports enthusiast. He was a huge fan of the Winnipeg Jets and was a partial season ticket holder, attending their games from 1972 until the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996. Cliff was a major fan of Fantasy Baseball; MLB; NFL; and NHL starting in 2010; via Yahoo Sports, and he was very good at it. Cliff also attended many baseball games in Minneapolis, Montreal and Toronto to watch the Blue Jays, the Expos and the Vikings.



Cliff loved to travel. He enjoyed many trips to various places in Mexico (eight times), Hawaii, Cuba, Dominican Republic (twice), North and South Vietnam (12 days), Cambodia, Laos and Thailand (for two months – 11 times). He also enjoyed the “party dance cruises” to the Caribbean Islands and the Panama Canal. Throughout his work career, Cliff travelled many times to Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Halifax. There are many pictures, over the years, of Cliff’s various trips on his Facebook page.



Cliff was a Rock fan. He saw, in concert, McCartney (four times), Rolling Stones (twice, second time – third row seats), U2 (twice), Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, 3 Dog Night (three times), Joe Cocker (three times), Animals (twice), Beach Boys (three times), Cher (twice), Gary Lewis (twice), Flo and Eddie (twice), Guess Who (three times), Mellencamp (three times), The Who (three times). Cliff’s favourite group at the end was Pearl Jam.



Cliff was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1977 and endured four months of radiation followed by four months of chemo. He was under the excellent care of Dr. Ian Maxwell who beat Cliff’s cancer, which enabled Cliff to live cancer-free for the next 45 years. Cliff and Dr. Maxwell would often see each other at the 1.0 Jets games. Unfortunately, this past August, Cliff was diagnosed with liver cancer.



Cremation has taken place. Cliff’s Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

“The love in our family flows strong and deep, leaving us memories to treasure and keep.”

Cliff…you are gone but never ever forgotten.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 09, 2023