John "Cliff" Clifford Wilkin

John "Cliff" Wilkin

Cliff Wilkin was born on November 22, 1960, in Atlanta, Georgia, to John Daniel Wilkin and Virginia Lloyd Wilkin.

Cliff was preceded in death by his father, John Daniel Wilkin; his grandparents, Therman and Barbara Lloyd, and Sarah Hudson and her husband, Hershel; and his beloved wife, Kelly P. Wilkin.

He is survived by his mother, Virginia Lloyd; his son, Jonathan Lucas Wilkin; his daughter, Celestia Vaive and her wife, Rebecka; and his stepmother, Dottie Wilkin.

Cliff spent most of his life living in Georgia and Florida. In 2014, he moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, to live with his mother, beginning another chapter of his life and giving them the opportunity to share those years together.

Cliff had a genuine fascination with anything that grew. Plants, lawns, flowers, and gardens naturally caught his attention, and he worked in lawn care for many years. His appreciation for things being cared for and looking their best followed him wherever he went.

His mother remembers that even something as simple as going out to eat could reveal that part of Cliff's personality. As they walked into a restaurant, if Cliff noticed weeds growing in the flower beds, he would stop and pull them. He couldn't simply walk past them. He was always conscious of how a lawn or garden looked and couldn't resist making it just a little better than he found it.

An especially important part of Cliff's life story was his sobriety. At the time of his passing, Cliff had been sober for 10 years. That accomplishment represented a decade of perseverance, determination, and choosing each day to continue forward. It was something deeply meaningful in his life and something worthy of being remembered and honored as part of the man he became.

Cliff also had many friends in Milton, Florida. The friendships he made there remained an important part of his life, and his family knows that his absence will be deeply felt by the many people who knew and cared about him.

Cliff's life was a journey with its joys, its struggles, its victories, and its lessons. Through it all, he was a son, a husband, a father, a friend, and a man who appreciated the simple beauty of watching something grow.

Perhaps there is something especially fitting about remembering Cliff through the things he loved to nurture. A garden doesn't become beautiful all at once. It takes patience, attention, perseverance, and the willingness to keep tending it. Cliff understood that about growing things, and in many ways, his own life reflected that same perseverance.

He will be lovingly remembered by his family, his friends in Milton, and all those whose lives became part of his journey.

Ten years sober. A milestone earned one day at a time, and a part of Cliff's story his family will always remember with pride.