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Obituaries » Reverend F. Graham Cliff

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March 17, 1938 - September 14, 2021

Burial Date September 22, 2021

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F. Graham Cliff

March 17, 1938 – September 14, 2021

 

The heavenly choir gained a tenor on September 14 when Frank “Father Graham” Cliff passed from this world to the next.  He was much loved and will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and the communities he served.

 

Born in 1938 in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, he completed teacher training in Physical Education and Religion at St. Paul’s Cheltenham. He then heard God’s call to ministry, earned a Diploma in Theology at Clifton Theological College, and was ordained into the Episcopal priesthood on September 25, 1966. He served at St. Christopher’s in Leicester and St. Botolph’s in Ipswich before immigrating to America.  Once here, he served churches in Houston and Waco, TX; Potomac and Denton, MD; Pittsburgh, Honesdale, Clarks Summit, and Jermyn PA.  He retired one month short of 51 years of service to the Church and his Lord.

 

He was proud of his service in the British Army, where he was a champion cross-country runner.  He served the Honesdale community as a YMCA soccer coach, president of the Ministerium, and member of the Literacy Council of the Wayne County Library.  He was a founding board member of Communities That Care.  For eleven years, he participated in a prison ministry called Kairos, where his humility and compassion built bridges of understanding; the Kairos team was his “Band of Brothers.”  He was generous in his support of many charitable causes, notably the school built in our partner diocese of Kajo Keji (S. Sudan), Doctors without Borders, and Boys and Girls Country of Houston TX.

 

 

Fr. Graham was friendly, kind, and down to earth; he could talk to anyone. On hospital calls, he was as concerned about the staff as he was about the members he visited.  He could start a conversation by wearing a T-shirt promoting something that mattered to him, such as Doctors Without Borders and One Man, One Vote.  He listened, he cared, and he remembered, especially the stories told by homebound members.  He made every baptism, wedding, and funeral personal; he invited everyone into a deeper relationship with God and the Church.

 

He was justly proud of his five children: Joel (Tracy) of Lititz, Tara (Baltimore), Caleb (Philadelphia), Andrew (Elyse) and Norah (David Candito) in Hoboken, and of his two grandsons, Aidan (PSU) and Sean (FSU).  He was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Florence May Cliff, and by his brother, Nigel. He is survived by his wife, Mary-Jo and his former wife, Kristina Evans, and also by a sister-in-law Sylvia, nephew Simon, and several cousins in the UK.

 

The family wishes to thank Dr. Michael Peterson, Dr. Jack Prior, Dr. Joyce Wald (U Penn), Dr. Lauren Nicholls (G-CMC) and the staff of Allied Hospice for their dedicated, expert, and compassionate care over long years.

 

Visitation will be at Hessling Funeral Home, Inc., 4-7 pm on Tuesday, September 21 and 9:30-10:30 am at Grace Episcopal Church on Wednesday September 22.  The Right Rev. Kevin Nichols of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem will preside over a service celebrating Graham’s faithful life and ministry at 10:30 am at Grace Church, Honesdale.  Please feel free to wear bright colors; masks encouraged. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Grace Episcopal Church, Doctors without Borders, or Boys and Girls Country (18806 Roberts Rd, Hockley, TX 77447)

 

 

 

For well over a century, Hessling Funeral Home has offered traditional and non traditional services. We provide funeral services to all cultures and religious faiths. Making this difficult time a little easier for our families is our primary concern. In this spirit, we created our website, in which you will find information about our services and facilities, useful items such as directions, obituaries, and monuments. Please browse through our website and feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have.