Cliff’s Obituary Clifford E. Smith, 87, died Thursday, January 24, 2019 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD. Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Friday, February 1, 2019 at Big Springs Baptist Church, rural Alcester, SD. with visitation 1 hour prior to the service.
Cliff Smith was born on September 5, 1931 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Cliff was the oldest of six children of Reverend Gerald and Karine (Snipstad) Smith. He found meaning in his life beginning with the time he gave his life to Christ as a teenager and continuing throughout all the rest of his years that he enjoyed God’s goodness and faithfulness to him.
Cliff graduated from Minnehaha Academy in St Paul, MN in 1949. He attended Bethel College and graduated in 1953. He married Marge Johnson from Alcester SD on June 12, 1953.
He attended Bethel Seminary one year in 1954, but felt God was calling him into teaching rather than the pastorate. He lived on the Big Springs family farm from 1954 – 1956. He attended the University of South Dakota and worked on a Master’s Degree.
He moved to Sioux Falls and taught at Edison and Whittier Jr. High School. While in Sioux Falls, he was asked to lead the Men’s Bible Study Fellowship for two years. That was a tremendous blessing and opportunity for him.
During that time, he also finished his Master’s Degree in counseling. His career took him to Letourneau College in Longview, TX and then to St. Paul, MN as a high school counselor. Later, he accepted the challenge of teaching high school students for Wycliffe Bible Translators in Brazil and Columbia.
He continued helping Wycliffe in subsequent years in their fundraising efforts. He returned to St Paul, MN and did more counseling before retiring to the home farm in Big Springs. Marge and Cliff spent 23 years enjoying the “farm” life.
He loved to come to Big Springs Baptist church and to sing the old hymns he knew so well. His face always lit up when Marge read scripture to him and he enjoyed reciting the verses as she read. He was very ready to go to heaven to be with the great treasure of his life, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He often said, “Yes, that will be wonderful”. He is survived by his wife, Marge; three sons, Rick (Robin) Smith of Jackson, MS, Steve (Kim) Smith and Lance (Becky) Smith all of Minneapolis, MN; daughter, Jodi (David) Pierce of New Zealand; ten grandchildren, Sarah (Dylan) Hoover, Rachel Smith, Joshua Smith all of MS, Aaron (Jennifer) Pierce, Ben (Courtney) Pierce, Alex (Abbie) Smith, Colin Smith, Logan Smith, Tessa (Kenny) Hubbell, Britta (Matt) Chiles all of Minneapolis, MN and 8 great-grandchildren, Asher, Selah, and Hudson Pierce, Mackie and Tayva Pierce, Noah Maxwell and Sienna Smith, Mara Jo Hubbell. Also surviving are his three brothers, Gerry (Lola) Smith of FL, Gordy (Bonnie) Smith of IL, and Torrey Smith of NY; and two sisters, Caren (Curt) Olson of MN and Carol (Phil) Cerrone of NY.
His parents preceded him in death.
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