Clifford Charles Edge, Jr. should have written his own obituary. He was one of the finest writers I have known. He was born to Clifford Charles Edge, Sr. and Grace Brown Edge in Bryan, Texas on February 20 ^th , 1933. He was their only child, and I won't say he was spoiled, but he told me once that he cried when his mother took down the Christmas Tree so she left it up and just re-decorated it every month with themed ornaments. His mother also wrote and self-published two books filled with her son's precocious witticisms called "Let there Be Laughter" and "Let There Be Laughter 2". He was a cherished and beloved child.

As a young man, Clifford found that his writing talent and capacity to learn served him well in pursuit of his career choice, a Methodist pastor. He achieved two Master's degrees and a Doctorate of Philosophy from University of Texas.

He always had a plan for his life which included meeting and marrying a lovely Methodist woman, who turned out to be a superb pianist as well: Carla Ehlers. They were a handsome young couple ready to serve in the Methodist church wherever God sent them.

Clifford and Carla were told they would not be able to have children, but the children apparently thought otherwise. I can honestly say Clifford's children were the light of his life. They came in rapid succession: Clifford Charles (Kippy) in 1962, David Carl in 1963, Craig Martin in 1967, James Christian in 1969 and Cara Diane in 1972. He was a dad who played with his kids, loved to travel to amusement parks with them, enjoyed cooking for them, loved to plan parties for them and just loved being with them.

Being a Methodist pastor meant moving many times; Clifford served in many Methodist churches including appointments in: Alvin, Bryan, Utopia, Houston, Fredericksburg, Brownsville, Llano, and Robstown until 1979 when he took sabbatical so that his kids could complete high school without having to move. He worked at Del Mar College, Texas A & I Kingsville, Robstown High School and the Robstown Record using his writing skills and his penchant for history in his new careers. He later rejoined the ministry and commuted to smaller rural Methodist churches so that his family could stay put.

Clifford loved historical buildings; his specialty was old movie theaters, particularly those which still housed pipe organs. He belonged to the national historical theater society and often used his planning skills to set up trips for the group's summer conventions. He coordinated and made agendas for the hundreds of members with ease. And he had a map in his head of the entire U.S. including where the historic theaters were in the cities. I know his kids and even his grandkids liked to "test" this map with: "What street is the theater in Lexington Kentucky located on, Daddy?" His reply: "You mean the one downtown, or the one on the east side?" This type of exchange happened many, many times in the course of our conversations with Clifford.

Clifford loved to have his family all together. When his kids started marrying and having kids, he was a very happy man. He was Granddaddy to his grandkids. They knew he would sit with them for hours reading a book or playing Pick a Patch, Uncle Wiggly or Candyland without losing patience. When the grandkids were old enough, he loved to take them to movies, plays and concerts. A particular favorite activity was taking the family out to a restaurant. He loved seeing a table of 16 to 20 people including his kids, grandkids and friends who tagged along sitting in a restaurant at several tables pushed together. And he always footed the bill; no question that he'd do so.

Family Christmas-tide was full of fun "traditions" that Clifford created; for years he would bring a full-size advent wreath with candles and an advent calendar to every family meal during the time of Advent. Those at other tables in restaurants may have looked sideways as he lit the candles, but he didn't care. He loved reading from the prayer book or having one of the kids do it and then passing out treats to everyone after the ceremony.

Clifford also kept track of birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and any other notable milestones and always made a point to send a card or treat a group to dinner to honor those special occasions in our lives. For him, any excuse to get together as a family was important.

His intelligence was astounding, but you would only find that out if you took the time to ask him something. If you had interest in: movies, historic buildings, downtown revitalization, politics, history, rock music, electricity, or most any topic, you could easily write a school essay on the information you gleaned from a conversation with Clifford. In fact, some kids may have done just that…But, he was always humble in his interactions with others and never belittled anyone in any way. He loved learning new things and often commented that something was "interesting" or "highly entertaining" if he particularly liked it.

Clifford, we know you had no allergies or ailments and you never complained about being uncomfortable. We know your family was your joy in life. We just wish you were here to write this and then join us for dinner after the service. We will miss you so much.

Clifford is now with his wife of 59 years, Carla Diane Ehlers Edge as well as his loving parents, uncles and aunts; he is survived by his five kids: Kippy (Debbie) of Portland, Texas; Carl of San Luis Obispo California; Craig (Michelle) of Andover, Kansas; Chris (Mimi) of Los Fresnos, Texas; Cara (Louis) of Cedar Park, Texas. He is also survived by his twelve grandkids: Chelsea, Caitlin (Hunter), Courtny, Camber, Caven, Cora, Cenna, Camie, Carly, Casey, Jacques and Emile.

If you'd like to honor Clifford's memory with a gift, the family is requesting donations be sent to The Ritz Theater in Corpus Christi Texas, a place that was near and dear to Clifford's heart.

To donate, go to: http://www.ccritz.com/ donate or send checks to: Corpus Christi Patch, 402 Peoples St. Suite 1A, Corpus Christi, TX 78401