A celebration of life will be Jan. 1, 2017 at Edgefield McMenamins from 1-4PM.

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Steve Clifford moved on to his next adventure on December 15, 2016, after a long and courageous battle with the effects of diabetes.

Steve was part of an all boy family, Floyd, Pat, Steve, Stan, Dan, and Bill, which was full of many adventures in the years growing up.  He was born in Longview, WA on July 15 1950. Throughout the years, his family moved several times, living in Clatskanie, OR; Anchorage and Talkeetna, Alaska; Rawlins, WY; and Yreka, CA.

After trying college at Southern OR briefly, he joined the army in 1971 and began paratrooper and land surveying training.  This involved some time in Oklahoma for basic training, and the 82nd airborne at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.  His stay in the service was short, and at a time when Viet Nam was closing up, so he didn’t serve overseas.

Steve continued land surveying into civilian life by going back to college to study it.  He attended OIT and worked off and on for the BLM as work study to hone his skills.  Steve met many of his best friends during this time.

One of the friends he found at school was Susan Waid. They married in Hermiston, OR in 1977, and created a home in Portland.  Then, the lights of his life followed soon, Amber, Julia, and Matthew.

In his free time he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and spending time with his children and their friends with many activities, including coaching  teams in SEP#1 Little League, parent helping with other sports, and mentoring at schools.

Steve worked at several engineering firms in the Portland area throughout the years, learning and accumulating experience in order to get his license in Oregon in 1985.  Steve Clifford Land Surveying was started in the 1990s, was a small family business.  He asked more than one nephew/school friend/  to help survey when he was self-employed, excited to share his profession, knowledge, and stories.

In more recent years, Steve and Sue traveled, usually on the most outback, scenic drive to see the wonders of the west; including, Wyoming, Montana, Utah red rocks, Death Valley, Yosemite, the redwoods in California, and a lot of Oregon.

The weddings of Amber to Jesse Cunningham and Julie to Todd Bryant, brought some very happy times and some new boys into his life.  His most favorite times were spent with his amazing grandsons, Henry and Beau.

Steve is attending a reunion in heaven with his dad Roy, mom Rosemary, brother’s Pat, Floyd, Dan, and David, nephew Travis, niece Nicole, and other family.

A celebration of life will be Jan. 1, 2016 at Edgefield McMenamins from 1-4PM.  Please no flowers; remembrances may be made to the Diabetes Association.

Many thanks to all of the healthcare workers who provided him with the best of care and lent an ear to listen to his many stories.

And thank you also to all of the friends and relatives who have shown their love and support to our family.  We didn’t know the broad reach of the lives Steve affected, but have seen it in the notes from kids he coached at sports, to former co-workers, to people he talked to in the neighborhood.  We know you loved Steve as much as we do and will miss him, but his stories will still be there.