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Forde, William Clifford
William Clifford Forde passed away Saturday, July 9, 2011, at his home in Iowa City of melanoma. The family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lensing Funeral Service, Iowa City. Private interment of cremains will be in Oakland Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Iowa City Hospice or to the Friends of the Iowa City Animal Shelter Foundation.
He was born Feb. 12, 1937, in Minot, N.D., and three days later was making his way to Chicago to meet his adoptive parents, Clifford and Ann (Berger) Forde. Bill lived there for 35 years and always remained a Chicagoan right down to his unwavering loyalty to the Chicago Cubs. A graduate of Lane Tech, he went on to receive Bachelors and Master degrees from Northwestern Illinois State College in History.
He lived for several years in Oregon and then moved to Iowa City with his first wife, Barbara Moore. Together they have a son, Dan, in whom Bill found constant cause for pride and a willing playmate. Here, he worked for Iowa Precision Industries in Cedar Rapids and retired from Mercy Iowa City in 2000.
Bill was always an avid sportsman, both as participant and spectator. Baseball was a favorite and once he hung up his cleats, he fueled his passion with Rotisserie (fantasy) baseball. Leaving the softball field, he moved to the golf course, a sport he could pursue for the rest of his life. In retirement, he also rekindled a love of bridge which he enjoyed not only for its competitive possibilities but for the camaraderie of the avid players in the area.
Bill is survived by his wife Sue, with whom he shared his love of golf, travel and their pup Sophie; his son and daughter-in- law, Dan and Blair Forde, and their daughter Audrey, all of La Mesa, Calif.; sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Tim McLaughlin and their sons, Ryan and Evan of Chatfield, Minn.; brother-in-law, Dennis Woratschka of New Ulm, Minn.; his cousin, Tom Ellerman of Eagan, Minn.; and many great friends he cherished.
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