Clifford C. Smith was born in Gillespie, Illinois, on Feb. 10, 1916 and passed into rest on August 22, 2008 in Clearwater, Florida.
He was the last member of his primary family and was preceded in death by his parents Dennis E. and Alice P. Smith of Gillespie, Illinois, his brothers Ralph, Russell, and Earl Smith, sisters Daisy Meyers, Norma Lee Beasley, Alice Kay Smith, and Hazel Conway. Clifford’s wife of 60 years, Anabele Motte Smith, passed into rest in 2003. He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Dr. Stephen Smith and wife Dr. Cathy Frank of Detroit, Michigan, Paul Smith of South Bend, Indiana, and Georgianna Benois and her husband Danny Benois of Conroe, Texas.
Clifford was a retired USN Lt. Commander who served in the Pacific and China during WWII with service to his country spanning over 27 years. He served on the USS Missouri, USS Columbia, USS Paul Jones and USS Saratoga. He was a self-educated mechanical engineer and never lost his love of learning. After retiring from the Navy, Clifford worked for and retired from Miles Laboratories now Bayer. According to his wishes, he was cremated and his ashes spread at sea.
