Glance At The Life Of Clifton Earl Townes

Clifton Earl Davis was born on October 2, 1932, to Estelle Delores Charity, in Rectory, Virginia. He later took on his stepfather's last name of Townes. He went by the name of Clifton Earl Townes throughout his military career, getting married and having children only to find out that he did not exist. In 1975, he legally changed his last name from Davis to Townes. Clifton was the middle child of three. He had two sisters, Lois Blizzard and Shirley Ruffin, both of whom preceded him in death.
Clifton E Townes joined the US Armed Forces on April 4, 1952. He went to Kessler AFB in Mississippi for his basic training. He has been stationed at Offutt AFB in Omaha, NE; Andrews AFB in Washington DC; Shape AB in Fountainebleau, France; Westover AFB in Springfield, Massachusetts; Castle AFB in Merced, CA; Bien Hoa AB in Vietnam; Torrejon AB in Madrid, Spain; and Griffiss AFB in Rome, New York. He retired after serving twenty years in the United States Air Force. After retiring from the military, Clifton acquired a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from University of Central Arkansas with a minor in Psychology. He taught appliance repair at Metropolitan Vo-Tech in Little Rock, Warren Vo-Tech, and lastly, at SAU Tech in East Camden, Arkansas. Upon leaving SAU Tech, he opened his own appliance repair business, C & C Service Company.
On July 4, 1953, he met the love of his life, Norma Jean Cleveland whom he married on April 1, 1954. Their blessed union produced five children: Stuart Alan Townes (Marlyn), who preceded him in death, Michael Stephen Townes, Valencia Sandra Butts (Jesse), Catrina Elaine Ward, and Clifton Earl Townes, II (Carmen). Family was a very important part of his everyday life. He believed in sitting at the dinner table and eating the evening meal together. He enjoyed watching his children when they participated in sports, and he even coached baseball. He liked fishing and bowling; he even took a 50-mile bike ride with the Boy Scout troop from Little Rock to Hot Springs when he was Scoutmaster.
As a member of Bullock Temple CME Church, he served on the Steward Board, headed the CYF group, and sang in the Chancellor Choir. When they moved to Camden, he and his wife joined CME Temple Church where he served on the Steward Board, was a Sunday School and Bible Study teacher. He also was a Monday School teacher and Bible Study facilitator to the Mount Zion CME Church conference call family.
Clifton had a hand in raising his grandchildren. He took some of them travelling across the United States one summer to California and Virginia in the back of a pickup truck, great memories. Others he took to Florida or just kept them during the summer break. His great grandchildren were a part of his heart. God blessed him to see most of them grow up into adulthood.
Clifton was a man of wisdom with a heart for young people, old people, just people and spent a lot of years mentoring/counselling them. Loved by many, a great number of them called him "Daddy" or "Granddaddy".
Clifton Earl Townes, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and mentor departed this earthly home on July 19, 2021, at the McClellan VA Hospital in Little Rock. Though we will miss him, we rejoice in knowing that he gave his heart to the Lord and will one day be resurrected to meet Jesus in the middle of the air.
Clifton and Norma enjoyed 67 years of marriage. In addition to his wife and children, he leaves to cherish his memory 13 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, 7 nieces and nephews, a host of extended family, and many, many friends.