Clifton Kunde

Clifton Kunde, age 89, passed from this life on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, due to complications from a hip surgery.
He was born on June 19, 1922, on the family farm in Portage County, Wisconsin, the youngest son of Frederick and Ada (Bremmer) Kunde, and brother of Dorothy (Butler) and Don, all of whom preceded him in death. He grew up in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where he graduated from P. J. Jacobs High School in 1940. During WWII he served in the U.S. Marine Corp. stationed in Hawaii. Following WWII , he attended the University of Wisconsin where he earned a Bachelor 's of Business Administration degree with a major in accounting. He briefly worked for the State of Wisconsin in Appleton. Clif became an internal auditor for the Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (now Alliant Energy) in 1953 where he worked until his retirement in 1984.
In 1948, he married Isla Mae Becker in Stevens Point. Clif and Isla celebrated their 63rd anniversary on June 19, 2011. Along with Isla, Clif has been a member of Bethany United Methodist Church since its early days. Over the years, he has served as greeter and usher; he also used his accounting expertise as a trustee.
Over the years, Clif pursued many interests to mastery. His love of photography began when he was a year book photographer in high school and continued as he chronicled large and small family events. His interest in history and genealogy led him to spend many hours doing research at the State Historical Society Library. He traced one family line back to 1458 in Great Britain. He was an avid and accomplished gardener specializing in cross breeding of reblooming iris. He produced a new variety which he dedicated to Isla and is now being cultivated at the Olbrich Park Botanical Gardens. He was also a dedicated fan of the Packer and Badger football teams.
He was the beloved husband of Isla, devoted dad of Kathleen (Rick) Levy and Shari Brush, loving grandpa of Ben and Erin Levy and his two grandsons who preceded him in death, Eddie and Danny Brush. We love you so much. Your physical presence is missed greatly but we know your spirit is still right beside us. Until we meet again.