Clifford Eugene (Jr) Gillen

Clifford Eugene Gillen, Jr. was born on February 8, 1941, to Rone Anne Svoboda and Clifford Eugene Gillen, Sr. in Portland, Oregon, Multnomah County. He was raised primarily by his mother’s parents Frank Svoboda and Anna Tvarohava. He attended Catholic School and graduated from Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon.

Clifford was a very devoted Catholic and prayed all the time. Rarely did you ever see him without his Rosary. He was devoted to the Latin Mass and even at 82 he could sing the hymns and prayers in Latin. He was a very deep thinker and could reason things out in his head for cause and effects, etc. He was very talented musically; he played the organ, piano, keyboard, Trumpet, and Clarinet in his younger years. 

He attended one year at the University of Portland and planned on becoming a doctor; however, finances wouldn’t allow him to continue. He went to work at Boeing in Portland. His travels brought him to Arizona, and he lived all over Cochise County. In his last 15+ years he settled in St. David. He could tell you the chemical compound of things even at 81. He had a brilliant mind. 

He joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Jesus Crucified, FMJC as an Associate in 2022. He prayed with them the Evening Liturgy of the Hours and Divine Mercy Chaplet beginning in 2020 until a few weeks before he passed to Eternal Life. He moved to Benson and stayed there a couple years. He began attending St. Andrew the Apostle Church on Thanksgiving 2020 and came every Sunday. During the week while living in Benson he attended daily Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes until his health declined. 

He then moved back to St. David where a friend and caregiver took care of him with the help of Hospice until his Death on July 19, 2023. His daily practices were watching EWTN, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Mother Angelica, and praying the Rosary. He prayed for our Church often. Clifford was quite a character. He will be buried in the St. David Cemetery in the same plot as his mother. 

Services will be held at St. Andrew the Apostle Church on Thursday, August 11, 2023

800 Taylor Drive, Sierra Vista      Rosary at 10:00 AM,      Mass at 10:30 AM

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Clifford Eugene (Jr) Gillen, please visit our floral store.