Clifford N. Lee

Clifford “Cliff” N. Lee, long-time resident of McCall, ended his battle with Parkinson’s Disease early Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 at the age of 93. An avid outdoorsman, Cliff loved flying and piloted many of Idaho’s backcountry airfields. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and hiking. He loved downhill and cross-country skiing and spent many years on Brundage Mountain’s volunteer ski patrol. He remained physically active throughout his life, from tending his tomatoes to showing off how many push-ups he could do. Though his twilight years were in Boise, Cliff was happiest to call McCall, ID home.

Cliff was born April 20, 1929 in Alton, Bear Lake County, Idaho, the only child of Delbert and Dorothy (Nickoliasen) Lee. Growing up during the depression, Cliff learned the value of ingenuity and hard work by helping with the family businesses: a restaurant and mechanic shop that were built off of the family’s gas station. Here, he developed his fondness for “tinkering” and a life-long passion for cars. Cliff balanced his responsibilities with a love of baseball. He was a standout pitcher. A batter once remarked that the ball Cliff pitched looked no bigger than an aspirin tablet. Cliff’s athleticism and sense of duty combined when he joined the Air Force. He trained in San Antonio, TX and was stationed at Châteauroux-Déols Air Base in France, where he worked on airfield reconstruction projects and traveled as part of the Air Force baseball team.

After his military service, Cliff attended Weber and Utah State University on baseball scholarships, earning a degree in civil engineering at the latter. While in college, Cliff married Joan Cook, with whom he later had three children, Diana, Cheryl, and David. After a stint at Hill Air Force Base, Cliff began his 30-year career with the U.S. Forest Service as a civil engineer. He worked across northern Utah, central Idaho, and California building roads, bridges, and administrative buildings. He assessed the viability and safety of ski area lifts, as well as of dams and other cooperative projects.

Though Forest Service administrators courted Cliff’s leadership at a post in Washington, among the life choices he treasured most was his election of the Payette National Forest for his final post. He moved his family to McCall in 1969 and stayed through the late 90s. After retiring from the Forest Service, Cliff worked as an engineering consultant; he proved himself a steward of the land with his advocacy through Evergreen Forest Products for McCall’s timberlands. Further, Cliff was among those visionaries who laid the groundwork for the paved bike paths we enjoy in McCall today. Cliff was also the General Manager of Brundage Mountain during the late 80’s and one-time member of McCall’s City Council. He served as a trustee on the McCall-Donnelly School Board and as a representative on the Idaho Forest Products Commission. 

Although Cliff and Joan later divorced, Cliff shared many contented years with his long-time companion, Nancy Amundson, who survives him, and her sons Kyle (Kelly) and Kegan, and her grandchildren Taylor and Megan. Cliff shared his love of cars and fitness with Nancy, as well as frequent trips to the Oregon coast, to Hawaii, and to Washington state, where Nancy’s family lives.

Cliff is preceded in death by his parents and son, David. He is survived by his former wife, Joan, his daughters Diana (Daniel) Jones of Moscow, ID and Cheryl (Patrick) Knowles of McCall; his grandchildren: Tanner (Amanda) Jones of Coeur d’Alene; Jenna (Kirby) Meshishnek of Lewiston; Daniel Knowles of Kona, HI; Annie (Andy) Narver of McCall; and Erick Lee of Seattle, WA; as well as by his great-grandchildren: Orion and Ionna Knowles, Oliver Jones, and Kolton Meshishnek.