Clifferd Oswald Sr.

A great man went home to his final resting place in heaven. Clifferd Oswald Sr., 92, passed away at Sanford off Collins, Mandan, on December 16, 2015. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 am Monday, December 21, at Zion Lutheran Church, 413 Avenue D East, Bismarck, with Rev. Thomas R. Marcis, Jr. officiating. Burial will be held at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm Sunday, December 20, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Cliff was born on July 11, 1923, in Menno, SD, to Adam and Ida (Pfeifle) Oswald. He was raised in Menno, SD, and later moved to Yankton, SD, where he met the love of his life, Pearl Davenport. The couple were married on June 6, 1942, and were married for 58 years. Cliff was honorably discharged from the United States Army where he served in WWII from March 24, 1943 to January 15, 1946. Upon Clifferd’s return to Yankton, they packed their three children and moved to North Dakota. While farming near Wing and Goodrich, they were blessed with five more children. Clifferd was part of the American Legion in Wing, ND, until he moved their entire family to Bismarck in 1967. Clifferd worked for McCarney Ford until his retirement. Cliff was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Bismarck. Clifferd’s passion was watching his children and grandchildren play sports. He loved coaching his sons’ and grandchildrens’ Corwin Churchill Softball team. He was involved deeply with his children from working on demolition cars, race cars, and being the resident babysitter/taxi driver after retirement. Clifferd will be deeply missed by his children; his four daughters, Dianna (Jerome) Riederer, Driscoll, Marlene (Dennis) Binder, Sherry (Robert) Ell, and Rebecca (Sam) Ude, all of Bismarck; his four sons, Clifferd Jr. (Jerilyn) Oswald, Larry Sr. (Connie) Oswald, Terry Sr. (Linda) Oswald, and Randy (Patrice) Oswald, all of Bismarck. He is also survived by his 19 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren; one sister-in-law, Delores (Eddy) Oswald; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Pearl; his granddaughter, Laura Binder; his grandsons, Derek and Jason Ell; his parents, Adam and Ida; his brothers, Gideon, Duane, Eddy, and Randy; his sister, Elda, along with three sisters who died in infancy.