Clifford O. Persons, 89
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 23 hours, 44 minutes AGO
Clifford O. Persons, 89, born March 18, 1936, passed away Jan. 19, 2026, into the infinite deep powder side with comfort of a well-lived outdoor life and his faith in Jesus Christ. He was surrounded by family and compassionately cared for in his final days by the wonderful, loving, professional staff of Logan Health-Whitefish.
He was the first of seven born to Katy (Timberman) Persons and Orville Persons, both raised in Musselshell country. Cliff was born at the Kalispell General Hospital and transported in an old pickup through a March snowstorm to the Whitefish clinic where Katy and Clifford waited to make the newborn's first winter outdoor journey to their rural home outside of Whitefish. Orville, a dairyman for the Hori Ranch, retrieved the most reliable rural winter transport — a team of horses hitched to a wagon. He set a bed of hay, surrounded by a few large "Silver Cup Dairy" cans filled with hot water and the warm love of Clifford’s mother, Katy, snugged tight together under a tarp for the first snowy hour trip home.
His formative years were spent on the Williams and Pauly (later the Williams and Tavenner) Ranch in Deer Lodge where both Orville and Katy moved to in 1939 and began ranch work in 1940.
Clifford was an avid mushroom and huckleberry picker and pie maker extraordinaire. He loved life with friends spanning a wide spectrum of ages. The outdoor life is a life lived well. Clifford lived life fully as a Korean War draftee, smoke jumper, ski patroller, ski instructor, wooden-ski telemarking tourer, backcountry hike-skier, Big Mountain groomer, wilderness river kayaker, "Father of Kayaking in Flathead Valley," happy hiker and trekker, avid fisher and hunter of wild meat, fine carpenter and cabinet-maker, founding partner of KR&P and Whitefish Builders, motocross and trials rider, and most importantly a loving son, father and husband of Boneta (Bonnie Lovell, deceased) Persons and later Carol (JoAnn Olson-Moe, deceased) Persons, both who preceded Cliff into the everlasting love.
He is survived by a grand range of friends and six siblings, Clyde (Pheobe, deceased), Keith (Kay, deceased), Nadine (Tim Nelson), Susan (Doc Sutton), Maxine (Miles Sheets) and Jerry (Debbie); three sons, Christian (Nancy), Neil (Jessica High) and Steve (Jen Grace and grandson, Roán). A ski merging marriage extended family to JoAnn’s three children, Tera (Joe Keister and grandchildren [Christine] Rose [Andrew Jiang and great-grandson, Desmond] and Evan Moe), Mike Moe, and Tommy Moe (Megan Gerety and grandchildren, Taylor and Taryn).
A celebration of Clifford’s well-lived outdoor life and pies made from Cliff’s last huckleberries will be shared at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club from noon to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 7 — Clifford’s favorite ski month and the month of his first outdoor snow-storm journey home as a newborn.
Whitefish Lake Restaurant
1200 U.S. 93 North, Whitefish, MT 59937.
Please consider legacy donations in Clifford’s honor to help preserve and tell the history and outdoor adventures of local skiers:
The Ski Heritage Center
705 Wisconsin Ave., Whitefish, MT 59937
406-885-2730
