Clifford Chesick

Clifford Dale Chesick, 86, of Marshalltown, passed away on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at Harmony Marshalltown.

Funeral services for Clifford will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service; beginning at 10:00 a.m. Memorials may be directed to the family. For more information or to send a condolence, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Clifford and his family.

Clifford Dale Chesick was born on April 11, 1938 in Tama County to Edward and Viola (Goette) Chesick; the second child of five. He was raised on a farm in Tama County. He attended Dinsdale High School from where he graduated. His family moved to Columbia, Iowa in Marion County. There, he met the love of his life, Freida (Harger) Chesick. They were united in marriage on July 12, 1959 and spent 65 years together as a loving couple. To that marriage they were blessed with three children, Kristy, Randy, and Karen.

Clifford worked as a hired hand for several years at the Burt farm North of Marshalltown. There he and Freida raised their family. Then he worked at Mica for several more years until he retired. Clifford and Freida made their home in Albion until they were unable to maintain it and moved to Marshalltown.

Clifford was involved in several clubs. As his kids were growing up, he helped out with the Boy Scouts and the 4H club. He was also involved with the Green Mountain Lions Club. He was there the day they started the Lions Club and the very last day they discontinued as the Lions Club. He served as the president of the Lions Club several times, the secretary and the tail twister. Clifford was involved in the United Methodist Chapel Church of Gladbrook. He always helped out with the annual Ice Cream Social, especially cranking the ice cream by hand. When Clifford and Freida moved to Albion they attended the Presbyterian Church in which he was highly involved.

Clifford loved doing things with his hands. When they moved to Albion, he and his brothers and son built a shop where he did wood working crafts. He had his own business called “Grandpa’s Workshop”. He made all kinds of things from little teddy bears that he handed out to little kids at the craft shows, a beautiful cedar chest for his granddaughter, and a kitchen cabinet and a kitchen island for his wife. He also made little tables and TV stands. Clifford also made a cradle with his son and grandson for Thea Chesick before she was born. His grandchildren and great grandchildren loved to go out to the shop to help Grandpa paint. He took a lot of his creations to craft shows. He always loved talking to people. There wasn’t a person he didn’t know it seemed like. Clifford was a kind gentle hearted soul. He would help anyone who needed help. Always encouraging, loving, with a gentle smile and a strong grip handshake.

Clifford and Freida took the kids on several trips to Minnesota where he would go fishing and row the boat as far as he could out on the lake. He spent several silent moments just looking out over the lake on the bench that was facing the lake. He took his family to visit other family members in Arizona, Kansas and Georgia. He always would pack up his family in the car and just take them on a “Sunday Drive.” He would tell the family, “We are going crazy.”

Clifford will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Freida, his children, Kristy Flack, Randy (Dawn) Chesick and Karen (Edward) Haubach. Grandchildren: Amanda (Justin) Kinney and Scott (Melissa) Chesick. He will also be dearly missed by his great grandchildren: Anna Schnuckel, Katherine Schnuckel, Thea Chesick and Adelaide Chesick. Siblings: Tom (Karen) Chesick and Stan Chesick.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Floyd Chesick, his sister Nancy Marshall, brother in law, Richard Marshall, beloved granddaughter Heather Schoonover and sister in laws, Rose Hooper and Lynnette Chesick.

-lovingly written by the family