Clifford Joseph Harrison

Clifford Joseph Harrison, age 99, a lifelong resident of Pickford, went to meet his Lord and Savior on Thursday, October 12, 2018 after a short illness. He died at the Pennington Home Hospice Room in Pickford. Clifford, the youngest of seven boys, was born on September 17, 1919 to Gertrude (McDowell) and Lewis Harrison on their farm on Townline Road. His father died five months before he was born. From first through eighth grades, he attended Cowell School, a two-room schoolhouse, and he liked to tell stories about Christmas programs, snow storms, and the long walks coming and going. He often mentioned that being in trouble at school meant being in trouble at home. When he attended Pickford High School, he boarded with the Roy Hewer family. His favorite part of high school was the opportunity to participate in sports. He especially loved basketball and was captain of the team during his senior year. He played on town league basketball teams well into his forties. In high school he met the love of his life, Shirley Batho. They were married a year and a half after they graduated and were blessed with four sons. In World War II, Clifford served as a machine gunner in the front lines and later as a Quartermaster truck driver in the United States Army 14th Armored Division, 68th Infantry. He was stationed first in Italy, and, after the Battle of the Bulge, he was moved to France and Germany. He served in the Haguenau area and earned two battle stars. Five of the seven Harrison brothers fought in the war, and they all made it home. Carlyle was at Guadalcanal, Howard at Iwo Jima, Gerald in Hawaii, and Lewis Junior, a POW, also in Germany. After the war, Clifford and his brother-in-law Wayne Storey, started a meat packing business – the Pickford Meat Company. They were well known for their smoked meats and ran a truck route to restaurants and stores throughout the Eastern Upper Peninsula. When Clifford retired, he and his wife moved from the town of Pickford to Rocky Point on Munoscong Bay where they enjoyed many years of retirement. Clifford was an avid hunter and also enjoyed fishing. At age five, he learned to play the harmonica by watching his mother play, and in his retirement years he seldom went anywhere without a harmonica in his pocket. He had an unusual playing style, which he developed himself combining melody and counterpoint. The high point of his week was to play with the Pickford Pickers jam group every Saturday afternoon. Clifford was a dedicated Christian and a member of the Pickford United Methodist Church where he filled many roles, including church treasurer and Sunday School teacher. He was also a member of the Christian Business Men’s Association. He felt the Lord gave him a special calling as a prayer warrior, and he prayed often for and with the sick, especially those afflicted with cancer. Clifford was also a proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Clifford is survived by his four sons and their wives: Wayne and Missi of Greeley, Colorado; Dennis and Jody of Rapid River, Michigan, and Mesa, Arizona; Tom and Janis of Leesport, Pennsylvania; and Neil and Sue of Pickford. He is also survived by ten grandchildren: Gina (John) Flores, Amy (Jeremy) Wagner, Nicole Hoof, Anthony (Kara) Harrison, Brad (Kim) Harrison, Angela (Christopher) Stone, Joan (Steven) Morton, Kristine (Jamie Hey) Harrison, Neil (Tonya) Harrison, and Krystal Harrison. He is also survived by eighteen grandchildren and one great granddaughter as well as his brother-in-law, Rollie Hill. In addition to his parents, Clifford was preceded in death by his beloved wife Shirley; infant granddaughter, Koral Kristine Harrison; brothers, Elwood, Maitland, Lewis, Howard, Carlyle, and Gerald. He was also predeceased by his sister, Audrey (Thompson) Hill; his step-father, Robert Thompson; and sisters-in-law, Marie Harrison Smith, Dorre Armstrong Harrison, Marie Hughes Harrison, Eileen Harrison, Martha Harrison, Theora Hughes Harrison, Agnes Wilna Batho MacDonald, Isabelle Batho McDonald, Beatrice Batho Rye, Janice Batho Lockhart, Phillis Batho Huyck, and Doris Mona Lou “Dorie” Storey; and brothers-in-law, William “Bud” Batho, Melbourne MacDonald, Lloyd McDonald, Eldred Rye, Merlin Lockhart, Orries Huyck, and Wayne Storey. Visitation will be held at the R. Galer Funeral Home in Pickford on Monday, October 22, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a Life Celebration Service at 1 p.m. Interment will be at the Cottle Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to The Pickford United Methodist Church, 115 E. Church Street, Pickford, MI 49774 or The Pennington Home; Superior Health Support Systems; 1501 West 6th Ave.; Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49774.

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Clifford Joseph Harrison

September 17, 1919 - October 12, 2018