Clifford Dare, 81, of Troy

Clifford E. Dare, 81, passed from this life on June 24, 2014, at his home in Troy. He was born July 20, 1932, to Richard and Dorothy (Harris) Dare in Auburn, Calif. He was the oldest of four children.  

He grew up living with family in a dirt-floored cabin without electricity or plumbing, running barefoot and wild in the back country of the Rogue River Valley near Eugene, Ore. Hunting and fishing provided subsistence for the family. “Go catch dinner,” Cliff’s Aunt Josie would order him.

Cliff entered the U.S. Navy at age 18 and served as a boiler man on the USSBB Iowa during the Korean War.  

On his return to San Francisco from leave, he boarded a bus in Oregon and sat down by Hazel. After an exchange of many letters, they married in Norfolk, Va., on May 2, 1953.  Their daughter Debra was born there the following spring. 

Cliff was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1955, and he and Hazel moved back to Oregon. Their son Mitch was born in Springfield in early 1956.

They headed to Kalispell to check out a job opportunity and stopped along Highway 2 overlooking the Kootenai River. Cliff declared that this was the country he wanted to live in. He moved his family to Montana in an 18-foot travel trailer, working briefly in Kalispell before moving to Troy in late 1956. His son Casey was born the following summer. 

For the next 33 years Cliff worked in Troy, and then in Libby for J. Neils Lumber Co. He later worked for St. Regis and then Champion International. 

In 1974 Cliff acquired his own piece of God’s country, and the family moved from town to 40 acres near Milnor Lake. He retired early in 1989 and fulfilled his dream when he started Kootenai River Outfitters and became the first licensed outfitter on the Kootenai River.

Cliff’s passion for hunting and fishing is well known.  He roamed the country for miles surrounding Troy and knew every mountain, ridge and valley. He delighted in sharing his knowledge and experience with anyone who would listen.

Cliff and Hazel raised three children and helped raise three grandchildren, along with assorted cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats and a crow named Joe.  He loved life, loved nature, loved to talk, help people, and most of all, he loved his family.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, a brother Donald and a son Mitch.

Survivors include his wife Hazel Dare; daughter Deborah Burton; son Casey (Diane) Dare; grandchildren Travis Dare, Misty Oberdorf, both of Eureka, and Chaz (Breana) Burton, Lakebay, Wash.; great-grandchildren Savannah of Eureka, Kiera, Brogan and Deegan of Lake Bay, Wash.; sisters Shari Parker, Springfield, Ore., and Beverly Ferguson, Battleboro, N.C.; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Services will be at 2 p.m. July 5, 2014, at Three Lakes Community Bible Church in Troy. Arrangements are by Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home and Crematory in Libby. Online memories and condolences may be made at www.schnackenbergfh.com.