Clifford Ray Furnish, 74 years old, of Milan, Missouri, passed away Monday, April 1, 2024, at Sullivan County Memorial Hospital in Milan.
Clifford was born August 26, 1949, in Unionville, Missouri, to Neal and Lita (Shilt) Furnish. On April 18, 1970, he married Beverly (Hummel) Furnish; she survives of the home. He is also survived by four children, Bryan Furnish (Megan) of Milan, Laura McBee and the late Jason Gibbs of Liberty, Missouri, Christa Widner (Matt) of Lucerne, Missouri, and Erin Furnish (Kyle Fordyce) of Newtown, Missouri; grandchildren, Marcus Furnish, Madison Furnish, Korbyn Furnish, Alec McBee, Raygen McBee, Lauren Fordyce, Anna Fordyce, Ellie Fordyce, Izabell Miller, Mazey Miller, Andrew Fordyce, and Sebastian Fordyce; a sister, Deborah Sandefur of Olathe, Kansas; nephews, Nicholas Sandefur and Ian Sandefur (Tracy); a brother-in-law, Martin “Butch” Hummel (Debbie) of Lawson, Missouri; sisters-in-law, Virginia “Jenny” Hulsopple (David) of Savannah, Missouri, Sara Blanchard (Tim) of Lucerne, Missouri, and Maggie Brown of Princeton, Missouri; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a daughter, Shawna Rae Furnish.
Clifford grew up west of Powersville and west of Milan, graduating from Milan C-II in 1967. He owned and operated Furnish Body Shop, then served in the United States Army in Germany, where Beverly spent a year with him before they moved back to the area, finally settling in 1988 at their farm, west of Milan. Over the years, Clifford owned and operated his auto body shop and farmed. He was a member of the American Legion, served as a board member for MFA, and was on the committee at Milan C-II, helping plan for the new school addition. Clifford was an avid Milan C-II supporter and fan, watching his kids and grandkids play sports. Clifford enjoyed hunting, fishing, and reading. He loved discussing politics with his brother-in-law, Butch, and with Janet and the crew at MFA, and enjoyed the coffee group.
A service for Clifford will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Milan Christian Church. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Milan. A visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday evening, at Ruschmeier-Smith Funeral Home in Milan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to American Legion Post #228 or Milan C-II FFA.
