Clifton Wayne Bardsley

Clifton Wayne Bardsley, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, and friend, went to be with our father in heaven on Monday, May 5th, 2025. He was 88 years old.

Born June 27th, 1936, in Belleville, Illinois, he was the son of the late Clifton and Louise M. Bardsley of Belleville, Illinois, brother of Juanita Lake of Melissa, Texas, and brother of the late Mary Rensing of Belleville, Illinois, the late Barbara Phillips of Freeburg, Illinois, and the late Georgianna Bennett of Westminster, Colorado.

After graduating from Belleville Township High School, Cliff joined the U.S. Navy. He was a Korean War veteran who honorably served his country as a Fire Control Technician 2nd Class aboard the heavy cruiser USS Rochester (CA-124).

Following his military service, Cliff took a job as an electronics technician at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri, working in the test lab supporting a variety of aircraft programs, most notably the F-4 Phantom. He went on to become a technical trainer for the company spearheading avionics training for the F-4, F-15, and F/A-18. In 1986, he transferred to the brand-new McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company location in Mesa, Arizona, where he became the manager of technical training. That same year, he was honored by President Ronald Reagan for developing a summer training program to teach a variety of technical and practical skills to inner city teens in St. Louis, Missouri. As his management responsibilities grew, he still made time for a variety of volunteer work in the community and continued his own education by completing his MBA. After a distinguished 40-year career, he retired from McDonnell Douglas in 1997 with the second longest MDC record of anyone working at the Mesa facility.

Upon retirement, Cliff and his wife Cherie, moved to El Dorado Hills, California, where he remained active by volunteering for the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department.

In 2005, Cliff and Cherie decided to leave California and follow their dream of working in support of America’s National Parks. They landed a summer job working for the Yellowstone Association, the non-profit educational partner of Yellowstone National Park. That “summer job” turned into nine years of dedicated service to the protection and preservation of the park. Cliff and Cherie also went on to work an additional two years at Grand Canyon National Park. In 2015, Cliff and Cherie moved to Colorado to be closer to family.

Cliff loved the outdoors. He enjoyed hiking, camping, skiing, boating, scuba diving, fishing, elk hunting, traveling, and spending time with his beloved dogs. He was an avid river runner who rafted many rivers in the western United States, including ten trips down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. He also loved watching wildlife in Yellowstone and visiting the fat bears of Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska.

Cliff is survived by his loving wife Cherie Bardsley, Dacono, CO, sons David (Jeannine) Bardsley, Scottsdale, AZ, and Dale (Pam) Bardsley, Melbourne, FL, sister Juanita Lake, Melissa, TX, and granddaughters Elizabeth (Stewart) Grimshaw, Evergreen, CO, and Rachel Bardsley, Melbourne, FL.

A Celebration of Life for Cliff will be held later this summer in the mountains of Colorado.