Clifton Vander Ark Obituary (1941 - 2024)

Clifton Eugene Vander Ark made his way to the gates of Heaven on September 8, 2024 in Oro Valley, AZ. Cliff was born in Chicago, IL on December 30, 1941 to Reverend Clifford and Geneva Vander Ark. He lived in several different areas of Michigan and Washington as a child but was primarily raised in Sanborn, Iowa. Cliff was highly intelligent (also a little mischievous) and graduated early from Western Christian School. He then graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biology from Calvin College in Holland, MI in 1963. Immediately after college Cliff took a train to Arizona where he started his career working as a criminalist with the Tucson Police Department. He then worked with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office where he helped establish the first crime laboratory in the state. In July 1969, he transferred to the newly created Arizona Department of Public Safety where he spent the next 34 years. He was instrumental in transforming the Arizona DPS Crime Laboratories into one of the finest in the nation through his work as a crime lab administrator and quality manager. His advocacy for crime lab accreditation and quality assurance allowed him to provide accreditation training programs all over the world in places such as India, Malaysia and New Zealand. Cliff was dearly loved by his family and his children treasured his wild sense of humor which was questioned at times by his wife of 52 years, Nancy. He was known for his incredible piano playing abilities and played for hundreds of church services, weddings and funerals over the years. Even though his memory began to fade in many ways, he was still able to play the piano until his last months on earth. He loved to travel and went on adventures to almost every continent and countless countries for work and pleasure. He worked hard, played hard and was full of eccentricities and unique interests. One of Cliff’s favorite hobbies was racing pigeons. He was eventually successful at hiding the less than attractive coops from the rest of Nancy’s pretty backyard, like the wonderful husband he was. He created an amazing vegetable garden in his Phoenix backyard long before desert gardeners were cool. Another of Cliff’s interests was the weather - he could tell you the dew point in Phoenix at any given moment, particularly to know when to run his prized swamp cooler. Importantly, Cliff never let a day go by without a nap. Even while he was employed full-time he would find a place to nap, whether it was his in-law’s home or the back seat of his big red truck. Whenever asked if he had a nap that day the response was “Did the sun come up?” and he never went anywhere without his fan for white noise. He was the original podcaster and leaves behind many audio tapes recorded from the early 80s including things as mundane as a car ride to church to Melissa’s entire birth. His joy in the art of flatulence was passed down through the generations because it is a free laugh. Anyone who knew Cliff can think of some type of Cliff-ism phrase repeated over and over and their first memory would probably be something funny. Cliff is survived by his wife Nancy Vander Ark, brother Cork (Marilyn) Vander Ark, children Mandy (Dax) Quelland, Mark Vander Ark, Melissa (Daved) Wilkins, and Curt Vander Ark, and grandchildren Quinton, Taryn, Brynn, Wicklow and Winter. Cliff was preceded in death by sons Clifton Jr. (Bud) Vander Ark, Cary Vander Ark, brother Jim Vander Ark, parents Clifford and Geneva Vander Ark, and beloved Golden Retrievers Molly, Heidi and grand dog George who were “good Christian dogs who obeyed their masters”. Services for Cliff will be held on Saturday October 26 at 10AM at Trinity Bible Church in Phoenix, AZ where he was a founding member and served as an elder for most of his 45+ years as a member. Although we shed tears of sadness at his passing, we cannot escape the fact that he is with his Heavenly Father and waits for us there. I’m sure there is a piano in heaven – isn’t there?