Clifford Raymond Emlong

Clifford Raymond Emlong, 95, passed away Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Woodland Terrace in Bridgman, MI. Friends may call from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd. with a rosary held at 7:30 P.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday January 9 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joseph, officiated by Msgr. Eugene Sears with burial to follow at Riverview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church or Hospice at Home. Friends wishing to leave a condolence may do so on the memory book at www.starks-menchinger.com Cliff, the name all his friends called him, was born to Ralph and Nellie (Spinks) Emlong on April 8, 1914, in Bridgman, Michigan. He attended Georgia Tech University where he received a baseball and basketball scholarship. He returned to Southwest Michigan to become the third generation and future president of Emlong Nursery, Inc. On June 27, 1936, he married Margaret Coutchie in Muskegon, Michigan. Cliff was a Commissioner and Mayor of the City of St. Joseph from April 1962 to May 1965. He was also a member of the St. Joseph –Benton Harbor Rotary Club for over 65 years, past President of Berrien Hills Country Club, a lifelong Republican, a President of American Association of Nurserymen and a member of Michigan Association of Nurserymen. He is survived by his wife Margaret of St. Joseph; two sons Rocque (Martha) Emlong of St. Joseph and Scott Emlong (Nancy Hall) of Boston, MA; daughter- in -law Joan Emlong of St. Joseph; two grandsons Ralph and Mike Emlong; three granddaughters Lisa Lindholm, Alexis and Molly Emlong; five great- grandchildren Drake and Lily Emlong; John, Ethan and Regan Lindholm; one sister Bernice Wolf of Muncie, IN, and a dear friend “Gladys”. He was preceded in death by his son Ralph in 2005; a brother Darrel and a sister Ruth. His family knows that his memory and spirit will continue to grow just as will the thousands of trees and flowers he planted and nourished in our community.