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Clifford P. Saunders of East Haven died Oct. 27 at Yale-New Haven Hospital with his devoted wife of 70 years, Mary, and his loving daughter Deborah at his bedside. Clifford was born Feb. 22, 1926, in East Haven, son of the late Clifford and Rose Stanius Saunders.

He attended New Haven schools and graduated from Hillhouse High School and New York Technical School. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II with the Third Fleet in the Pacific for two years. Clifford worked as an electrical engineer for UMC in North Haven until his retirement. When he was younger, Cliff played basketball for Columbus Auto Body and softball for Lenox AC. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and never missed the UConn women’s basketball games on TV. Cliff and Mary loved to travel and enjoyed their time spent in Port Charlotte, Florida, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus and the Hamden Elks Club #2224, and he was a member of the American Legion.

Clifford was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and was deeply loved by his devoted family. He was predeceased by his brother Donald Saunders. Besides his wife Mary Moran Saunders and daughter Deborah Berwick, he is survived by his grandson J. Dana (Tara) Berwick; his granddaughter Kirstin Clifford (David) Schroeder; his great-grandson Riley Eric Schroeder; and his great-granddaughter Abigail Quinn Berwick.

The funeral procession left from the W.S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home Oct. 31 for a Mass of Christian burial in St. Vincent de Paul Church, East Haven. Private burial followed in St. Agnes Cemetery, Branford. Friends called prior to the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Blvd., Memphis, TN 38105. For an online memorial, see www.wsclancy.com.