It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Susan Margaret Kepler Clifford on Monday April 5, 2021 after a battle with early onset dementia/alzheimers.  Loving wife, mother, and friend, she is survived by her husband Donald Clifford, her children and their spouses, Erin and Myles Throop, and Ryan and Felicia Clifford.  She is also survived by her four grandchildren, Ethan and Liam Clifford, and Cosette and Alexandra Throop.  Finally, she is survived by her beloved dog, Bear.

Susan was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio to Jean and Glenn Kepler on February 15, 1953.  She is survived by her two brothers and a sister, Peter (Jill) Kepler, Michael (Cindy) Kepler, and Lisa (Eldon) Martin.  She grew up in Ohio, then moved to California, and finally to Boulder, Colorado when she started high school.  It is there where she met her future husband, Don Clifford, when they were only 15 years old.  They married at 20, and Susan earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  She later earned her Masters in education from the University of Northern Colorado.  She and Don moved to Fort Morgan, where they would remain until her death.

She was a very genuine, kind, funny with a great sense of humor, and outgoing person.  She was very creative and loved to sew and quilt.  She was passionate about teaching and loved kids.  She taught in Fort Morgan for over 30 years, first teaching 4 ^th grade and then 1 ^st .  She touched hundreds of lives through her teaching and truly believed that learning was a lifelong endeavor and did her best to inspire her students with a desire to learn.

Family and friends were also very important to her.  Spending time with both was a priority, and after her retirement from teaching, you could often find her and Don traveling to see their kids, spending holidays with extended family, hosting big family get togethers, and traveling with their friends abroad to see the wonders of other countries and cultures.  Her weekly coffee klatch was a very important part of her life, and she enjoyed hours of chatting and catching up with her friends while drinking (probably gallons!) of coffee.

We will be holding an open house to remember and celebrate her life, and would welcome anyone who can stop by.

Date: April 11 ^th , 2021

Time: 11am-4pm

Location: 1005 Nancy St., Fort Morgan, CO 80701

Contact: Donald Clifford, or Erin Clifford Throop

Any donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association by going to the following link:

Alzheimer's Association Donate Link