Mr. Bobby C. Clifford was born to the late Charles (Dike) and Lillian Meadows Clifford of Chester County, Tennessee. He was the only boy of six children and was preceded in death by two older siblings, Burdine Thomas and Lardell Harbor.
Bobby graduated from Chester County Training School and furthered his education at Tennessee A&I (Tennessee State University) and Tuskegee University.
In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, Betty Welch Clifford, and to this union, two children were born. Bobby and Betty were married 57 years as of March 14, 2021.
Professionally, Bobby worked for a total of 25 years with The Tennessee Farmer’s Home Administration and with the U.S. government in Soil Conservation. He also served diligently as the minister of The Newtown Church of Christ in Savannah, Tennessee, for well over 30 years before he retired. Bobby took pride in making two special sauces, one for his four- alarm chili and one for his “que” on the grill. He proudly embraced the nickname, Mr. Bobby-que.
Bobby is survived by: his loving wife, Betty; two children, Anton Clifford (Celia) of Marietta, Georgia, and Kim Wright (Keith) of Durham, North Carolina; four grandchildren, Anton, Chase, Jeremy, and Joshua; a special great-grandniece, Shakira; three sisters, Eva Crutchfield, and Ruby Carmichael, both of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Addie Trice of Nashville, Tennessee; three sisters-in-law, Annie Trice (Jimmie) of Cordova, Tennessee, and Joyce Welch, and Shirley Welch, both of Henderson, Tennessee; one brother-in-law, Clark Kent Welch (Sandra) of Germantown, Tennessee; and a host of nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews, as well as extended family and friends who will miss him dearly.
