Clifford Pelton

My husband and love of my life, Clifford Pelton, age 92, died peacefully at my side with his son, Jesse, holding his hand. He is survived by his sons, Bill Pelton and Jesse Pelton (Alison) of Vermont and grandson, Alec Pelton, of Washington, D.C. He was preceded in death by his two sons, Seth and Aaron Pelton. Cliff was a man with a big heart, a big smile and a loud voice. He was an incredible loving and wonderful husband who was the perfect partner in every imaginable way. He loved his family and delighted in all of our accomplishments. He also loved Las Cruces and New Mexico. When he moved here in 1996, he immediately got involved with the nascent recycle movement. As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, he was involved with an important addition to the physical plant, which he supported with both money and labor. Working with other men of the church, he helped install the landscaping and the irrigation system. He was a member of the Democratic Party (supported Bernie in 2016), Progressive Voters Alliance, and the League of Women Voters. He was a great supporter of the ASOMBRO Institute for Science (where he won first place in his category at the Desert Dash of 2014), Community of Hope and Casa de Peregrinos among other nonprofit and charitable organizations. Cliff was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in the San Fernando Valley in California. He joined the Army Air Corps and the next day the Corps became the U.S. Air Force. When his three-year tour of duty was up, President Truman gave him a gift of another year of service due to the Korean War. Cliff graduated from Pomona College with a degree in English Literature. He was awarded a Peabody Fellowship to get a Master's degree at Vanderbilt University which he did not complete due to a health issues. The family then moved to Vermont and Cliff joined the Vermont Agency of Transportation where his favorite job was surveying. Eventually due to a growing family and the need for a better paying job, he enrolled at the University of Vermont where he graduated in 1965 with a degree in Civil Engineering. While there, he was inducted into Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society, the first Civil Engineer to gain that honor. He then went to work at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Public Roads. While on assignment in Latham, New York, he and his then wife, Joan, participated in the "Picken and Singing" group. Cliff had a creative streak and during this time he built two guitars for Joan, who was musically inclined. He then continued his building streak with banjos and Appalachian (lap) dulcimers. During his time with the US Department of Transportation, he saw an opportunity to work in Puerto Rico. He had taken classes in Spanish while at Pomona College and thought that this was a way to improve and become more conversant in the language. He lived and worked in Puerto Rico for nine years. He never did improve his Spanish because when he talked to the employees in Spanish they answered in English - they wanted to improve their English! At the tender age of 85 he and Elisa Sanchez met. We were exactly what we both needed. Our happiness and love for each other showed and everyone saw and commented on it. We were often told by young people who saw us holding hands and kissing how "cute" we were. Consequently, we talked about ourselves as "cute old geezers in love." Love at this age was a blessing and gift. Cliff will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He was an asset to our community. Muchas Gracias to Kindred Hospice for their loving support. A virtual Celebration of Life so that friends across the country can reminisce and share joyful memories is being planned for the future. Cliff requested cremation and to have his remains scattered in the Organ mountains. ______ NMSU Foundation Gift Donations in Memory of Clifford L. Pelton. Checks may be sent to the NMSU Foundation in Memory of Clifford L. Pelton, Jr. Funds will be collected and held until an Endowed fund is created for Aggies without Limits. NMSU Foundation, P.O. Box 3590, Las Cruces, NM 88003 Online donations: Go To: www.support.nmsu.edu • Select: Give Now • Choose or enter amount to be donated • Fund: Select "Other" and write in: In memory of Clifford L. Pelton.