David Arlyn Clift

David “PeeWee” Clift, 90, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2026. Born on September 6, 1935, in the rural township of Ross near Viroqua, Wisconsin, Pee Wee was born at home to Dale and Beatrice Clift and went on to live a life defined by kindness, service, hard work, and genuine care for others.

Pee Wee graduated from LaFarge High School in 1953 before being drafted into the United States Army, where he served during the post-Korean War peace-time era.

On April 12, 1958, he married his wife, Audrey Ernst. Together, with unwavering dedication, they raised their three children: Deb, Mark, and Jim. His first priority was always service to his family and, along with his wife, seldom ever missed any event in their children’s lives and were always available to help throughout their lives. They were longtime members of both the United Methodist and Free Methodist Churches in La Farge.

Pee Wee was known throughout the area as a friendly, hardworking, and dependable man. He began his career with Tri-State Breeders before becoming a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, where he worked until retiring in 1998. As a testament to his work ethic, he never called in sick nor took a day off during his 25-year postal career.

If you knew Pee Wee, you knew his smile. No matter what challenges life placed in front of him — including surviving a major stroke in 2006 — he continued to greet people with optimism and always loved to visit. He never stopped caring about others, keeping up with friends, or following what was happening around LaFarge. He treated everyone with kindness and always showed a genuine interest in people.

Along with his never-ending positive attitude, serving others and his community was one of the defining themes of his life. Pee Wee devoted countless hours volunteering in support of LaFarge High School and the La Farge community. He faithfully ran the scoreboard for football and basketball games and served on the La Farge School Board for 30 years, including many years as board president until his retirement. He also volunteered with the CESA Board of Control, the La Farge Lions Club, and the LaFarge Fire Department. He was also presented with the Melvin Jones Fellow Award by the International Lions Club Foundation for dedicated humanitarian services.

Pee Wee had a lifelong passion for baseball. He played for LHS during high school, and soon after umpired hundreds of baseball games for an amazing 44 years. He loved watching the Brewers and remained a loyal fan throughout his life. Interestingly, he is the long-time record holder of the 100-yard dash at LHS as well. He also enjoyed bowling, playing euchre and cribbage, exercising, woodworking, lawn work, and gardening.

He was preceded in death by his dedicated wife of 64-years Audrey; his parents, Dale and Beatrice (Storer); his sister Sharon, and his grandson Will.

A celebration of PeeWee’s life will be held on Sunday, June 14, at the La Farge Community Center. Visitation will be from 12:00–2:00 PM, followed by the memorial service at 2:00 PM. A meal will follow the service. In honor of Pee Wee’s love of La Farge, you are encouraged to wear Purple & White/LHS Wildcat casual clothing.

Pee Wee Clift was truly one-of-a-kind and if you knew him, you loved him. He lived a great life with an always positive attitude and truly made his pocket of the world a better place. His kindness, humility, work ethic, and servant’s heart will be remembered by all who knew him. Many, many thanks to all of his friends for their constant visits, support, treats, and friendship for decades. Thanks also to Riverwood Senior Living in Wisconsin Dells, and St. Claire Hospital in Baraboo for their excellent care.

He is survived by his children: Deb (Danny) Ham of Pardeeville, Mark Clift of La Farge, and Jim (Tammy) Clift of Reedsburg; brother Larry (Jane) Clift of Milton, grandchildren Craig Fay of Pardeeville, Scott Fay of Oregon, David “DJ” Clift of Lake Mills, Brett (Jessica) Clift of Sun Prairie, and Jessica “Jessie” Clift of Sun Prairie; Great-grandchildren Archer “Archie” Clift and Audrey “AJ” Clift. Nephews Marty Clift of Edgerton, Greg (Tammy) Clift of Eugene, Oregon, Bob (Carla) Clift of Janesville, John (Shiela) Clift of Richland Center, and Tom (Karen) Ernst of La Farge, also survived by two extra grandkids, Andrew Kaminski and Josie Raimer.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be directed to the David "Pee Wee" Clift Memorial Volunteer Award which will be established and awarded to a student who best exemplifies Pee Wee’s spirit of volunteerism and helping others.

Blessed be the memory of David “Pee Wee” Clift.

Vosseteig Funeral Home & Crematory is serving David's family.

203 N. State St.

La Farge, WI 54639

608-625-4244