Christopher Dean Clifton
July 30, 1963 ~ May 29, 2020
Christopher Dean Clifton passed away peacefully on Friday, May 29th at 6:18 am. Chris lived a life of kindness, generosity and patience beyond what words can described. He offered continuous love, stability and respect to his surviving wife, Katherine Jane Clifton of New Braunfels, TX. His parents, Lowell Dean Clifton and Edna Sue Clifton, currently residing in Franklin, OH, raised him to always respect others, to give more than he received, to be responsible for his actions and to have faith in God. He also leaves his sister and brother-in-law, Deanna Sue & Ronald Keith Simpson of Franklin, OH, their children, Kaitlyn Sue Smallwood and Tyler Keith Simpson along with their families. Since Chris never had children of his own, he always considered Kaitlyn and Tyler his kids too. He also embraced his step-children, Christine Nicole Lucas of Sugarland, TX and Matthew Steven Drengler of New York City, along with their families.
Chris’s zest for life and commitment to help others started early in his life by working toward and earning his Eagle Scout status. This continued through his career path where he began as one of the youngest deputy sheriffs for Warren County in Ohio, later moved on to become a paramedic and physician’s assistant where he spent 10 years working in the ER at Middletown Regional Hospital. Later his love for computers won out and he began working in the IT field for his best friend, Jack Gerbs, and later transferred to Chicago as a systems engineer for the airlines. While living in Chicago Chris became a Mason and ultimately became the master of his lodge. Chris continued his educational pursuits achieving several AWS certifications and joined Onica (now Rackspace) after moving to the Texas Hill Country.
Chris commented a couple of months ago…..”I’m at the point in my life where I am completely content. I have a family I absolutely love, was able to build my dream home in a country setting that is breathtaking, and I have a career working for a fantastic company in a field I thoroughly enjoy. I couldn’t ask for more!”
After a short battle with cancer, Chris is being laid to rest in the Texas Hill Country at 1:00 PM on Monday, June 8, 2020 at Hill Country Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children.
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Chris – Thank you for your friendship. In the last year of working together, I learned so much from you. You were a wonderful person who gave so unselfishly. I will miss our friendly debates and chats on a wide variety of topics. I was blessed to know you sir! Requiescat in Pace.
Kathy – In such a short time, you’ve become a sister to me. Please know I am here for you. I pray that God will heal your heart and fill the emptiness with happy memories of your loving husband.
For the rest of the family – My deepest condolences. Chris was truly remarkable.
Kathy, my deepest condolences to you and all your family. Will keep you all in my prayers. Susan Brunn Grayslake, IL
Kathy, my deepest condolences, we will keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.
God’s Peace to you Kathy. Eternal rest, grant unto Chris, O Lord and let light perpetual shin upon him.
My deepest condolences to the whole family. I had the honor to work with Chris on one of my early projects, and he truly was an incredible guy to work with. He took me under his wing and was truly an inspiring man to work with. During the time that I worked with him, I quickly realized that he was definitely one of those few souls who truly touched anyone he came in contact with. He will truly be missed.
Chris was an amazing person. Funny, articulate, and always engaged in the conversations I had the pleasure of having with him. He had a positive impact on everyone he met, and his memory will continue to influence and benefit us all.
I wish the best for you and yours
An indomitable spirit, a sharp mind, an eye for detail. Chris was a talented engineer, engaged with the work, but also a friend and mentor to those fortunate enough to work with him. He was always looking for new challenges and ways to improve. His wit, wisdom, and experience are truly missed. Best wishes to his family and friends.
Kathy, my sincere condolences to you and your family. You all are in our prayers. We will miss Chris.
I charish the times we have spend having lunch and dinners talking about life and work. You were a great work colleague and a wonderful friend. I am going to miss you and know I will see you again. Everytime I lose some in my life I play this song and it conforts me.
RIP
Here we are, 6 months after your passing, that I’m just now able to sit down and maybe describe my grief in words. I held you in my arms when you were just barely a week old, and have loved you with all my heart ever since. I fondly, but painfully, remember my broken hand performance while trying to entertain you. You were laughing with every broken stick, and hand. And, I’d gladly do it all over again for you. This painful emptiness that I am currently experiencing will maybe lessen a bit with time, but, will never go away. I SO enjoyed our conversations, and have found myself still reaching for the phone to call you, and can’t. I can only reach you thru prayer, and you have my prayers. You were SO much more than a 3rd cousin to me, being more like a “little” brother, and your mom and dad like brother and sister to me. I will always love and miss you, Chris……always. Being almost 74 years old now, knowing that my end is closer than it ever was, is somehow not as intimidating a thing as it was, knowing that I will (hopefully) rejoin you someday, and we will again talk about Harley’s, guns, bar-b-q, and family. I miss you, cuz………..
Chris, you were so kind and helpful to me at United. Enjoyed your cooking adventures and the Ravinia concert you and Kathy and Barb and I attended. I was so happy hearing about the Tx house. And so sad when I heard only recently that you’d passed. Thank you for being one of the really good guys.