[ROB DAVIE]

I have a very sad announcement to make to the Rebreather World community. Cliff Simoneau, one of the principal partners of Silent Diving Systems has died.

I met him on a Shark Research rebreather expedition to Darwin's Rock in the Galapagos and got to know him as friend. He was a very good man. The Rebreather community will be poorer with his loss.

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Cliff Simoneau Loses Battle With Cancer
Death of dive industry veteran a serious loss for the entire industry.

Popular industry veteran, Cliff Simoneau, of Silent Diving Systems passed away peacefully on Sunday November 13th with his family and friends at his bedside. Cliff was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in early September and courageously battled the disease right up until the last hour refusing to accept defeat. It was typical of his approach to life and business. He had recently celebrated his 46th birthday.

His wife, Kathy, would like his friends to know that arrangements have been made for funeral services and encourages all who can, to attend. Visitation at Lord's Funeral Home in Wolfeboro, NH are set for calling hours between 4-8 PM on Thursday, November 17th. The funeral services will take place at St. Katharine Drexel, Rt. 28 in Alton, NH at 11:00 AM on Friday, November 18th. A reception will follow the service at Pickney Boat House, Brewster Campus in Wolfeboro.

Friends are encouraged to attend and celebrate Cliff's vibrant life and career.

Cliff is survived by his beloved wife of 25 years, Kathy, and his devoted dog, Bailey. Kathy and Bailey would like to thank everyone for all the cards and emails received over the last ten weeks since the onset of Cliff's illness. The support of his friends kept his spirits high and his attitude positive right until the last hour. One of Cliff's last wishes was to have his company, Silent Diving Systems, stand as his legacy in the industry. His partner Mike Fowler will continue to run the operation distributing the Inspiration & Evolution Closed Circuit Rebreather products without interruption.

While SDS may stand as a solid testimonial to his entrepreneurial talents, his undying enthusiasm and unquenchable spirit of vigor will also be remembered as his trademark. No one worked harder at promoting diving and embracing innovations that led the industry. Cliff will be impossible to forget and all his friends are invited to attend the services or simply to hoist a glass in his memory no matter where you may be if you cannot travel to Wolfeboro.

His long time friend and business associate Bret Gilliam reminds us all that "The Key To Immortality is Living a Life Worth Remembering." Cliff will be remembered fondly by all who knew him.

Cards can be sent to:

Kathy Simoneau
PO Box 1797
Wolfeboro NH 03894


In lieu of flowers please send donations to:

NEADS - National Education for the Assistance Dog Services
PO Box 213
West Boylston MA 01583

Checks Payable to: NEADS

Visit www.neads.org for more information

For questions or directions to the sites in New Hampshire please contact:
Mike Fowler
Operations Manager
Silent Diving Systems
Phone: 613 345 6382
Alt. Phone: 603 569 3467
Fax: 603 297 0047
Email: mike@silentdiving.com

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My God be with you my friend, on that flight West that we all must fly someday.

Rob Davie

[pierrevz]

It is only through Cliff and his business partner Mike Fowler at Silent Diving that the Inspiration and Evolution are available here in North America.

I had the pleasure of seeing Cliff in action during the Socorro Mexico trip aboard the Nautilus Explorer in January this year. Cliff was a fine person with a keen interest in promoting the diving industry.

My condollences to Cliffs family.

Pierre Vella-Zarb

[Westwinds]

I only knew Cliff for a short period of time. I was also on the Soccoro trip in January however during this time his passion for diving and enthusiasm for sharing our sport with the world was paramount everyday.

The diving world has lost a champion. My condolences to the family.

Westwinds.

P.S. I didn't have a chance to know the personal side of Cliff. How was he involved with NEADS? After reading their website, they seem like a fantastic organization.

[s75952004]

so sad to hear of the passing of another cancer patient.my deepsest simpthy to his family and close friends.
I do understand as a cancer survior ,it can be quite hard on the family to watch you go through the cemo ,sadly the type cliff had has a very low survial rate .we must fight to ride the world of this plage(cancer)

[peterbj7]

Never met Cliff but had some contact with him. Very sad. Makes all our other troubles seem so trivial.

[mverick]

Condolences to the family. Hard to loose someone.

[devilgas]

I attended the funeral last Friday in NH. Close to 350-400 people attended the services. Brett Gillam gave the Eulogy, very very moving.

Mike and the US team are moving along. They are off to Florida for the next trade show.

Cliff will be missed, but we are all going to keep the Rebreather lifestyle going.