Clifford Merrill Lindsey, 71, passed away Sept. 8, 2002, at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, of a brain aneurysm. His family was by his side. As was his wish, the gift of life was passed on through organ donation to LifeCenter Northwest.

Mr. Lindsey was born April 25, 1931, in San Jose, Calif. He was the only child of Ella and Kenneth Lindsey. A 1949 graduate of Lincoln High School and 1953 graduate of San Jose State College, he served proudly in the Air Force for four years, and the Air Force Reserve for over 20 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

He began his career as a salesman for IBM in the infancy of the computer age. After a lengthy career in Silicon Valley, he retired in 1989 as a vice president for Dataquest/Gartner Group. Since retiring, he has assisted several friends with startup ventures.

Mr. Lindsey loved nothing better than networking and lending his hand to a variety of philanthropic efforts. He had a passion for his work with Rotary International, serving as president and assistant governor to District 5050.

His legendary fund-raising efforts through the annual strawberry sales earned him the nickname “Strawberry Cliff.” The new South Whidbey Skate/Bike Park and the South Whidbey Schools Foundation also benefited greatly from his extraordinary fund-raising talent.

Mr. Lindsey greatly enjoyed hosting Rotary International exchange students and maintained these relationships over many years. He was a member of George E. Tutt Masonic Lodge of Los Gatos and of Sigma Pi fraternity.

He was a gym enthusiast and avid jogger, and his final odometer reading was more than 2,000 miles. Mr. Lindsey also loved to travel, completing 42 trips to Europe and planning to embark on his 43rd. He loved classical music and jazz, and was a connoisseur of fine food and wine.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia; three children, Clifford Lindsey Jr. (Karen), Susan Saunders (Steve), and Eric Lindsey; and three grandchildren Amber Spurlock (Scott), Hunter Lindsey and Micah Lindsey.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at 4:30 p.m. in the Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, Freeland. His final resting place will be Oakhill Memorial Park, San Jose, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Skate/Bike Park or the Rotary Foundation, both in care of Rotary of South Whidbey.