NEAR SUMMERSIDE, PEI, Canada -- Multi-talented Claude Simpson, a part-time musician, delicately handles a sad topic, the inevitable death of humans and animals.

When not busy as a machine operator for the Highways Department, 54-year-old Claude also moonlights as a casket-and-urn-maker for Angels Haven, a pet-crematorium and cemetery operated by his brother, Kent.

Many of his caskets have handles, pillows and cloth linings, often with patterns of cats or dogs. “I make them all different, including the shapes and sizes,” Claude said. “Mainly, they’re pine-wood with different stains.

“Fifteen years ago, I had a dog put to sleep. After the veterinarian told me the bad news, I took the dog’s body home, laid her in my workshop and then built my first casket.”

One of his pals has buried several German shepherds, each time after buying a human-style casket at a funeral home. “I started to think that maybe someone should build caskets for animals,” Claude said.

“I can supply nice caskets at reasonable prices. My small ones start at Cdn $275. You’d be surprised at how much work goes into them.”

As a country singer, Claude shows similar sensitivity toward humans. In 2005, after a gunman in Western Canada shot dead four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, Claude grabbed a guitar and wrote a song in tribute to the deceased, but crafted it to comfort the living.

They were four of the best
To serve and protect,
And they knew that the day may come,
When they’d get a call,
And give it their all,
And never see the setting of the sun….
We’ve lost four of the best,
So it’s up to the rest,
To keep us all safe from harm.
They’ll take the threat,
And even face death,
Anytime we sound the alarm….
They’ll answer the call,
And give it their best,
Anywhere, any place, anytime.
From “Four of the Best”, Claude Simpson, 2005

Claude recorded “Four of the Best” on a demo CD and sent copies to the slain officers’ families. He sold raffle tickets on others to benefit a hospital. In 2006, he placed the song on his first full-length album, Thinking of You.

Also a devoted music fan, Claude has a portrait of Waylon Jennings and other music-related images tattooed onto his arms. For an interview with Cairns Media Magazine, he wore a Willie Nelson T-shirt.

A big guy, Claude’s fond of tiny dogs. He and his wife Judy have two pets: Choco and Dallas, both Chihuahuas.

“We’ve always had Chihuahuas,” Claude said. “One dog woke us late one night. I knew something was wrong because the barking and growling had a different sound. I got up and saw the furnace on fire. Except for that dog, we’d have lost our home.

“Small dogs are good. If anyone’s around, they know. If there’s trouble, they know.”

Whether focused on music, mutts or mortality, Claude’s top-of-the-charts in compassion. He’s “another of the best”.



ARCHIVES