Willard “Will” Dempsey Clifton, Jr.

April 17, 1944

May 2, 2021

Willard “Will” Dempsey Clifton Jr, 77 of Salado, passed peacefully on Sunday, May 2, 2021, surrounded by his loved ones. A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 3C Cowboy Fellowship, located at 16258 Gooseneck Road, Salado. Burial will follow in Salado Cemetery. A time of visitation will be held from 6-8 pm Friday, May 7, 2021 at Harper-Talasek Funeral Home in Belton.

Will was born April 17, 1944, in Waco. He was the son of Willard D. Clifton, Sr. and Evelyn Fuqua Clifton. He attended Waco public schools. Will graduated from North Texas State University in 1969. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Cindy Schleede Clifton, oldest son Mark Clifton (Linda) of Dallas, daughter Stacy Clifton Miller (Mark) of Dallas, youngest son Ryon Clifton (Lacey) of Salado, and his seven grandchildren: Shelby, Matthew, Jack, Luke, Rook, Southern & CoBurn. He is also survived by his sister Dolores “Dee” Huggins of Waco, and brother Larry Clifton & wife Denise of Leroy, along with his nieces & a host of friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents.

Will had many talents & found success in his career of many years with Regions Insurance. His hobbies included horses, hunting, and raising Brahman cattle. Riding around checking cows was his favorite past time. Will was co-founder of the Salado Athletics Booster Club, and was a member of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, American Brahman Breeders Association, and served on the Bell County Youth Fair board. He was also a cancer survivor of ten years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Salado Volunteer Fire Department (P.O. Box 503, Salado, TX 76571), who played an invaluable role in Will’s care. We are forever grateful for their unwavering dedication to caring for this community & our family.