Obituary: BIRKELAND, CLIFFORD

Clifford Engh Birkeland 1944 ~ 2013Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, Clifford Engh Birkeland, age 68, passed away April 29, 2013, in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a courageous battle with cancer. Cliff was born September 28, 1944, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Leif Birkeland and Dora Ingeborg Engh. He lived his entire life in East Mill Creek, graduating from Olympus High School and the University of Utah. He served an LDS Mission to Sweden 1963-66. He married his sweetheart Lynne Sundberg on January 20, 1972, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities. He especially enjoyed working with the youth. He served for several years as an Ordinance Worker in the Salt Lake Temple, and he and his wife served in the Stockholm Sweden Temple Mission 2011-2012. He loved his Heavenly Father and His Savior Jesus Christ and felt great joy and gratitude for Their many tender mercies. He retired in April 2011 from Regional Supply Inc. where he had worked for 45 years, as General Manager since 1984. He served on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Plastics Distributors from 1983-1994, as President 1991-92. He enjoyed fishing, gardening, camping, serving others, all sports with his children, and playing competitive basketball until just a few years ago. He designed and built our house that was truly a home, a bit of heaven on earth. His greatest happiness was at home with his family. He is survived by his wife Lynne; four sons and two daughters: Eric (Kelley), Brian (Angie), Rebecca (Matt) Barton, Lars (Kera), Shanna, and Brett (Haley); sixteen grandchildren: Isabelle, Melanie and Sydney; Emmi, Jack and Lucy; Samantha, Alexis and Jacob; Tyler, Elena, Leah, Eva and Noah; Madeline and Claire; two brothers, Grant and Steven (Kristen), two sisters, Maurine (Keith) Newbold, and Annette Livsey; one aunt Gunvor Birkeland (Bergen, Norway), and one uncle Byron Engh, (Salt Lake City); and many loving nieces and nephews, cousins, and extended family in the US and Norway. Preceded in death by his parents and sister Diane Birkeland Gustafson. Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 4, 2013, 11:00 a.m. at the East Mill Creek 2nd Ward, 3750 South Hillside Lane (2500 East). Friends may call Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the East Mill Creek 2nd Ward, and on Saturday from 9:45-10:45 prior to the services. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to the LDS Church Temple Patron Fund. Interment: Holladay Memorial Park, 4900 South Memory Lane. Messages to the family can be posted at: www.HolbrookMortuary.com