Mostly Cloudy, 25° F
(Dec. 8, 1946 - Feb. 5, 2013)
Milton Ray “Bud” Clifton, was born on Dec. 8, 1946, in Powell, the fourth of nine children, to Carl W. and Evelyn A. Clifton.
He died Feb. 5, 2013 in Mesa, Ariz., surrounded by his family, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 66.
The Clifton family moved from Montana in the mid-1940s and Bud was the first of the children born in Wyoming. He attended the Powell school system with the Class of 1965, until his enlistment in the Navy. He farmed on the Willwood and was a sheep herder. His family continues to live and farm in Powell.
Bud joined the U.S. Navy in 1964 and was stationed in Newport, R.I. and San Diego, Calif. He attended Fleet Sonar School in Key West, Fla. He served aboard the USS Wilkinson DL-5, USS Agerholm, and USS John Paul Jones while in the Navy. He loved traveling and being at sea. His favorite place to be based was Hong Kong.
He ended his career as an over-the-road trucker for ACT and Navajo. He loved his family and would always make sure he had time off at Christmas to spend time with his children and grandchildren.
Bud will be remembered for his generosity and his love of jokes. He considered his greatest accomplishment to be raising his five children. He was proud of his grandchildren and loved watching them grow up.
He is survived by five sisters: Norma (Kent) Taylor, Susan (Jay) Vandenboom, Nancy (Bruce) Newton, Karen (Dennis) Kunkel and Julie (Donnie) Collingwood; three brothers: Duane (Marcy) Clifton, Dale Clifton, and Loren (Anna) Clifton; five children: Sean Clifton, Patrick Clifton, Kelly Ann Clifton, Shannon Garrett and Casey Clifton; 11 grandchildren: Aubree, Amryn, Abrham, Aisha, Abel, Amber, Sam, Javier, Daisy, Jonah and Micah; and one great-grandchild, Allison.
He was preceded in death by his father, Carl, and mother, Evelyn.
Memorial services are planned for May 23, 2013 at Thompson Funeral Home in Powell with interment in Crown Hill Cemetery in Powell.
