Clifford Eugene Collins' Obituary
Clifford Collins, beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed into Jesus'
keeping on April 30, 2024, just a few weeks after his 75th birthday. Daddy was born in
Kingman, Arizona on April 1, 1949, but he and his family moved to the Corbett, Oregon area
soon after, where he grew up. He had 3 siblings, my aunts Bonnie and Fern, and our uncle
"Shorty", born as James.
Dad attended primary schools in Corbett, but transferred to Jackson High School, where he
met our mother, Nola Jeffords. They were married the following winter.
Our daddy worked hard at any job he could find while attending night school for the
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 290. He became a pipefitter and worked his way up to
foreman in the Portland shipyards. He worked for Northwest Marine Ironworks for 25+
years. When the shipyard closed in the 90's, dad worked through the union at the Portland
International Airport, and then in Hillsboro and Beaverton for a construction company as a
pipefitter/welder, building the new Intel facilities. He worked there until around 2015 when
his health wouldn't permit him to perform the labor-intensive work.
A few years after our parents divorced, dad married Sue Wodesky. They lived in Deer Island,
Oregon until she passed away in 2020.
Dad's health began to decline quickly, and when we could no longer keep him safe, my sister
and I moved him into long-term care in 2020, where he continued to live until the
complications of Alzheimer's made him bedbound. My sister, Ronda Sheldon and I were at
his side when Christ took him home, and we praised God for His mercies!
Daddy was preceded in death by his wife Nola, his wife Sue, his mother, True Collins, his
father, James Collins, his 3 siblings and his brother-in-law. as well as his beloved
Pomeranian, Peanut. He is survived by his two daughters, Ronda Sheldon and Racheal
Murray, his nephew, Jesse Collins, and his wife, Ronda, as well as his many grand and
great-grand children. His 9 grandkids are Jake Epperly and his wife Heather, Cody Epperly,
Tori Ryals, Erik Epperly, Aj Ryals, Tracy Epperly, Aurora Tolver and Kennedy Koda Sheldon. He
also has 7 great-grandkids, Orian Epperly, Austin Ryals, Taylor Norris, Raylan Epperly, Aliyah
Prince, Lincoln Epperly and Elaina Epperly.
A celebration of life may be arranged in the future, but at this time, we do not have that
information.
If you would like to make any type of donation to a cause in dad's name, please choose a
reputable dementia research foundation.
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Share a story where Clifford's kindness touched your heart.
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