Clifford Asbury went home to be with his Lord on August 29, 2021. The world will be a little quieter without his infectious laughter and a little dimmer without his smile. He will always be remembered for his worship of the Lord, his patriotism for our country, and his undying love for his family.
Cliff was born in Heizer, West Virginia on September 23, 1930 to George Lawrence Asbury, a coal miner, and Eva Melissa Page Asbury, a housewife. Cliff was their fifth of eight children, having five brothers and two sisters. His parents obviously found a way to pass the time in the quiet hollers of their hometown. He graduated from Poca High School, at the age of 16, in 1947. He loved his West Virginia home and spoke often of growing up there.
Cliff left his hometown in 1947, at the age of 17, and served five years in the U.S. Army. He was a Korean War veteran and would often tell stories of his time with Army Security Services on top of Mount Washington, freezing each time he was on duty. He was very proud of his time in service, as evident by the hat he always wore, showing when and how he served.
Cliff left the service in 1952 and went to work for Bendix Corporation for more than 18 years. He worked in Sales and Service as an Aircraft Field Specialist in electric power. During this time, Cliff attended Monmouth College in Long Branch, New Jersey part time for seven years. He continued his education with T. A. Edison College through correspondence classes and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration on Sales and Marketing.
In 1971, Cliff joined Worthington Foods, where he worked as a salesman for 26 years, earning the title of “Master Salesman”. He loved traveling all over the southeastern United States, visiting small stores, supermarkets, Bible bookstores, and many other establishments that carried his company’s food products. If you looked through his client list, you would have seen a familiar name to many people…Sir Paul McCartney. He loved telling people that he fed one of the Beatles.
After retirement, Cliff and Barbara, his wife of 29 years, enjoyed traveling and visiting family and friends across the United States. They also took countless trips with the West Orange Seniors, making many new friends along the way. In recent years, he looked forward to visiting with senior crafters once a month at the Mark Street Senior Center. Cliff also loved to spend time reading, doing word search puzzles, and working jigsaw puzzles.
Cliff is survived by his wife, Barbara; daughters Kathy Dodd (Jackie), Gwen Drowne (Larry), Donna Baardsen, and Beth Moore (Jeff). Cliff was a proud Grandpa/Papa to five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren, with another great-great grandchild on the way. Cliff is also survived by two of his brothers, Reggie and Carter; three sisters-in-law, Sity, Ellen, and Frieda; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Cliff’s life will be held at a future time. In lieu of food or flowers for the family, please donate to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or to the Gary Sinise Foundation, Attn: Snowball Express, P.O. Box 368, Woodland Hills, CA 91365. These charities exemplify Cliff’s love of children. The family thanks you for any donations made in Cliff’s memory.