Clifford Burnett Bishop Jr.

Clifford Burnett Bishop Jr., 99, of Bowling Green, passed away September 25, 2022 peacefully at his home. A Mass of Christian burial will be held Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Clement Catholic Church in Bowling Green with Fr. Henry Ussher officiating. Burial with full military honors will be in St. Clement Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be on Saturday, October 1, 2022 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the church. Clifford was born September 15, 1923 in Fort Bragg, California to Clifford Burnett Bishop Sr. and Mildred Merle (McElroy) Bishop. He is survived by his wife Jeanne Marie Mattingly whom he was united in marriage on September 14, 1986, in Anchorage, Alaska. Also surviving are children: Clifford Burnett Bishop III of Olympia, Washington, Kathleen Bishop of Stanten, California, Sally Ann Smith (Earl) of Holten, Michigan, Kenneth Bruce Bishop (Trina) of Kasilof, Alaska, Timothy Bishop (Diana) of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Michael Aaron Bishop (Sun) of Fairbanks, Alaska; five step-children: Susan Call of Georgia, Sandy Reed of Oregon, Angela Gibson (Jerry) of Michigan, Michelle Bukovac (Nicholas) of Missouri, and James Pippenger of Washington; 14 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; and a very large extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers; and one sister. Clifford grew up in California. He spent 50 years living in Glennallen and Anchorage, Alaska until spending the last two years in Bowling Green. Clifford was a WWII Veteran. He started his military career in the Merchant Marines until the Coast Guard took over. He was discharged at that point and joined the Army AirCorp as a Marine Engineer. He was also a boxer during the war. After being honorably discharged from the military, he worked in trucking on the West Coast. He had heard his grandfather speak of the gold rush in Alaska, so in the early 1960s he relocated to Alaska to haul equipment to build the ice roads and the Alaska pipeline. He owned Bishop Trucking in Anchorage, hauling fuel, along with pipeline and jet fuel. Clifford never really quit working; driving up until the age of 94. He was a member of the VFW in Glennallen and also a member of the Moose Lodge. He was a member of St. Clement Catholic Church in Bowling Green. Clifford liked to help people and enjoyed teaching people anything he could, from truck driving to tying their shoes. He was also a regular sponsor of softball teams. He enjoyed fishing and hunting Alaska game. Clifford was also a pilot, flying his own planes. At one point, he worked on the Valdez oil spill as a safety boat Captain. In 2009, at the age of 85, Clifford published a book, “18 Wheels North to Alaska”, about Alaskan history and life. In 2012 Clifford wrote “Kenny Worth”, a children’s book about trucking from Seattle to Fairbanks. The family is requesting memorials be made to the family’s Go Fund Me account to assist with funeral services in lieu of flowers; https://gofund.me/2b46d285.

Clifford Burnett Bishop Jr.

September 15, 1923 - September 25, 2022