October 14, 1949 – September 19, 2020 (age 70)
Nolan D. Clifford, Providence, Utah, age 70, died in Logan, Utah in the company of his best girls, Heather and Marsha.
Nolan has suffered multiple failed back fusions and, since 2014, cancer. He is happily relieved of the pain caused by each.
Nolan was born and lived most of his life in Shelley, Idaho.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1967 and later commissioned as an officer. He had an illustrious career as a Navy pilot flying the P-3C Orion. His diligence and natural abilities earned him the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Before his retirement, as a demonstration of the deep respect his sailors held for him, he was frocked by his senior enlisted sailors as a Master Chief Petty Officer. His children warmly recall running excitedly outside to wave up to their Dad flying overhead, as his flight path carried him over their home. He retired in 1989. Nolan had the distinct pleasure to serve as the Commissioning Officer and performed the Commissioning Ceremony and administered the Oath of Office for his oldest son Nolan as he also became an Officer in the Navy.
After retiring from the Navy, he shared his love for flying through inspiring student pilots as a flight technology instructor at Salt Lake Community College and then served as Director of Aviation at Utah State University. He was respected and admired by his staff and students.
He was married to Phyllis Ferrell and later divorced. They are the parents of 8 children: Nolan, Michael, Kathryn, Aaron, Heather, Jeremy, Justin and Ashley.
Nolan is preceded in death by his parents, Gordon and Dawn Clifford, his siblings Greg, Kathryn, Nancy, Tim, Doug, Dwight and Rebecca.
He is survived by his children, grandchildren, his brother, Neil, sisters Sydney, Andrea and Bonnie, and his companion, caregiver and best friend, Marsha.
He will be missed by the “guys”, who wait by the door for him: Jesse, Shadow, Charlie and Booboo. We will do our best to maintain a happy crew until we meet again.
He is loved deeply by his family and friends. Words cannot describe his influence on our lives.
Special thanks to Julie Ward, CNS Nurse extraordinaire. We love you, Julie.
We love you with our whole souls.
Fair winds and following seas.