Obituary of Clifford Wilson

Clifford Eric Wilson, 71, of Folcroft, passed away peacefully at his home with his family on December 14, 2018 after battling illness for the past year. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he is predeceased by his father, Hubert Clifford Wilson an his wife, Martha Yerschke Wilson, and survived by his mother, Irma Kopp Wilson. He is also survived by his daughters, Sharon Wilson and Erica Wilson; grandchildren Elizabeth, Sarah, and Joseph; sister Debbie Wilson Guglielmo; brother James Wilson; as well as many more nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Clifford was a 1963 graduate of Grover Cleveland High School in New York. He continued his education to obtain a Bachelor of Arts from Pace University in 1967 where he was president of the student council. During his undergraduate time, he founded the Young Democrats and helped direct the founding of the Young Republicans at Pace. He then completed a Masters of Arts in American Civilization in 1969 at New York University. He also took additional Law classes at Fordham University as well as many doctoral level graduate courses in History. Dedicating his life to service and democracy, Cliff ran for U.S. Senate in NY in 1972. Though he lost that first election, two years later he won his first election and became the District Leader of the 37th Assembly District part B, Queens County, NY. In 1976 he was elected the youngest Member of the General Assembly of the New York House of Representatives and served 8 years, winning three more consecutive terms. During his time as Assemblyman, he did not compromise his beliefs as he passed bills and made his voice heard. Cliff ran for Congress in 1984, but lost the primary by a small margin. Beginning in 1990, after moving from New York to Radnor, PA, he dedicated his efforts to building a Democratic presence in an underrepresented area. He was elected Chairman of the Radnor Township Democratic Committee. Four years later he expanded his efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party as the Chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Party. He served 16 years as the longest serving Democratic Party Chair. During his time as Chairman, he worked tirelessly and captivated audiences with his speeches to empower increased action on the part of all Democrats of Delaware County. In 1999, Clifford Wilson became a Special Assistant to Congressman Bob Brady, serving until 2011. From 2011 until 2013, Cliff was Executive Director Borough Manager of Folcroft Borough. Cliff was Chairman of the Southeast Delco Democratic Committee from 2007 until 2018, focusing his efforts on recruiting for and building the party at a more local level. Cliff was very proud of his final election victory in 2017, when he won the position of School Director of the Southeast Delco School District. He was set to serve alongside his daughter, Sharon, and he was excited to contribute to a school district attended by his grandchildren. Throughout his life, Cliff cultivated a love for geneology and developed a family tree and data base of over 22,000 names of ancestors. During his last months of life he became a member of The Association of Professional Geneologists. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother throughout all the days of his life. A Memorial Service will be held at 2pm on Saturday, January 5, at McCausland Garrity Marchesani Funeral Home, 343 S. Chester Pike, Glenolden, PA 19036. Visitation from 1-2pm. Contributions to the Delcroft School Student Activity Fund, Southeast Delco School District, 1560 Delmar Dr, Folcroft, PA 19032. Pleas note in the memo Special Needs related activities and resources.