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Clifford Wilson Holdsclaw - father, husband, teacher, farmer, veteran, and lover of all things outdoors - went to be with his Lord on March 1, 2025. He was 96 years young. Cliff thought of himself as an ordinary man, but he actually lived a rather extraordinary life. He was born on December 4, 1928, to Artie Lewis and Lettie Howard Holdsclaw at their home in Sherrills Ford. He was the youngest of six children and the only boy. He learned how to farm and to do carpentry work from his father and uncles. He graduated from Sherrills Ford High School in 1947. He served his country in the Korean War as a U.S. Army engineer and was stationed in Incheon, South Korea. He received two Bronze Service Stars (an award for a heroic or meritorious deed in armed conflict) and a United Nations Service Medal. He served in the Army Reserves following his active duty. He used the GI Bill of Rights to go to college - the first person in his family to do so. In 1953, he enrolled at what was then North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (now North Carolina State University) to study his true passion - farming. He graduated in January 1957, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education in only 3½ years. Along the way, he met Dorothy ("Dot") Dey, a student at Greensboro College, while attending an April Fool's Day dance. They were married on August 4, 1957, and enjoyed 64 years together until Dot's passing in 2021. After a teaching stint in Reidsville, Cliff and Dot returned to Cliff's homeplace of Sherrills Ford and purchased 67 acres of farmland in 1960. Cliff, with help from family and friends, built his family's first and only home there. Cliff loved the outdoors and could be found driving his tractor, planting soybeans and wheat, bird-hunting with his beloved English pointers, and fishing along the banks of the Catawba River. Cliff taught science and math at East Lincoln Junior High School for approximately 25 years and was assistant principal for two years. In all, he served more than 30 years in the North Carolina school system. He earned a reputation as a disciplinarian who made his students study hard and earn their grades. He expected the best of them, both inside and outside the classroom. After he retired, many of his former students sought him out to let him know about the positive impact he had made on their lives (and to apologize for the misdeeds of their youth). Cliff was a longtime member of Rehobeth United Methodist Church in Terrell, NC. He served numerous leadership roles, taught Sunday School, and cooked barbeque for the church's annual fundraiser for many years. Cliff was proud of the fact that he lived independently in the home that he built until age 96. Although his muscles and joints began to fail him as he got older, Cliff remained mentally sharp as a tack. Up until eight days before his death, he handled his own affairs and engaged in lively conversations about current events, college sports and the weather with anyone who came to visit. He also loved sharing his memories of growing up on his family's farm in Sherrills Ford and what the area looked like before Lake Norman was built. He came to be known as an authority on local history. It was only fitting that he spent his final days with his children by his side at the Sherrills Ford Hospice House, which is only a few miles from the house where he was born. His circle of life was complete. Cliff is survived by his children: Donna (John) Mull of Newton; Susan (Michael) Boyles of Winston-Salem; and Art (Erica) Holdsclaw of Denver. He was extremely proud of his grandchildren: Alex Mull of Newton; Jarrett Mull of Charlotte; William (Meina) Boyles of Bothell, WA; Sarah Boyles of Winston-Salem; Abigail Holdsclaw of Chapel Hill; and Samuel Holdsclaw of Denver. He also had many, many nephews, nieces and cousins who were special to him. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and all of his sisters. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 8, at 4:00 p.m. at Rehobeth United Methodist Church in Terrell, NC. Burial with military rites will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends in the church narthex from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the Cemetery Fund at Rehobeth United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 356, Terrell, NC 28682, or to Carolina Caring, 3975 Robinson Road, Newton, NC 28658, with the funds designated for the Sherrills Ford Hospice House. Cavin-Cook Funeral Home and Crematory in Mooresville is serving the Holdsclaw family. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.

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Clifford Wilson Holdsclaw

December 4, 1928 - March 1, 2025