Mr. Clifford Brink, age 85, of Hospers, passed away on Monday, April 27, 2009, at the Christian Retirement Home in Sheldon.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, May 2, at 11:00am, at the First Reformed Church in Hospers. The Rev. Milton Sikkema will officiate. Interment will be prior to the service at the Hospers Cemetery. There will be a prayer service on Saturday, at 10:00am, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Hospers.

Visitation will be after 4:00pm on Friday, with the family present from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at the funeral home.

Clifford Edwin, the son of Henry and Henrietta (Boone) Brink, was born on October 31, 1923, on a farm west of Hospers. He was raised in Hospers and graduated from the Hospers High School.

During World War II, he was a medic in the United States Army and served three years in the South Pacific. On July 19, 1946, he married Bertha Zwagerman in Hospers. They made their home in Hospers, where he was employed at the Farmers Co-operative for 43 years. Bertha passed away on August 19, 2003, in Orange City, after more than 57 years of marriage. In November of 2006, Clifford became a resident of the Christian Retirement Home in Sheldon.

Mr. Brink was a life-long member of the First Reformed Church in Hospers. He also belonged to the Reuter American Legion Post in Hospers.

“Clif” enjoyed hunting, fishing, being outdoors, gardening, and reading. Following his retirement, he added exercising and daily card games to his pastimes, and he kept in touch with family and friends through e-mail. He never met a stranger and was always willing to visit.

He is survived by his son, Harvey of Milford, Kansas; two daughters and their husbands, Sheryl and The Rev. Brad Carloss of Cornell, Wisconsin; and Carla and Bill Schumacher of San Ramon, California; five grandchildren, Michele Grotenhuis of Troy, Alabama, Erik (Tosha) Grotenhuis of Blue Springs, Missouri, James (Tracey) Grotenhuis of Yankton, South Dakota, Heather Schumacher of San Antonio, Texas, and Sara Schumacher, of San Ramon; two step-grandchildren, Jordan Nye of Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Katharine Carloss of Eagle Grove; two great grandchildren, Cooper and Mac Grotenhuis; a sister, Lois and her husband Harold Van Den Berg of Sibley; many nephews and nieces, and special neighbors and friends, Jon and Helen Dykstra and Katherine Muilenburg.

In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a sister and her husband, Dorothy and Oscar Vander Pol.

Memorials may be directed to the Disabled American Veterans or the Gideons.