Obituary of Clifford James Teets

Clifford James Teets was born on March 28, 1963 in Peekskill, NY. He graduated from Hendrick Hudson High School, Montrose, NY in 1981 where he was an award winning pitcher for the Sailors. Clifford attended classes at Westchester Community College before going to work at General Motors. He relocated to Florida in the late 1980s and was a 20 year employee at Anvil Paints and Coatings in Largo. He enjoyed spending time with his children, playing golf, a good game of poker and a sunny day at the track. Clifford leaves behind family and many friends. Clifford is survived by his daughters, Lauren Ashley and Kristen Marie Teets of Seminole, FL; his parents Clifford H. and Agnes Teets of New Port Richey, FL; his sister Linda (Vincent) Ficarra of Putnam, NY; his brother Scot (Susie) Teets, nephews Sebastian and Spencer, and niece Savannah Teets of Hudson, FL. Services were held on March 5, 2011. Private interment will be at Church By The Sea, Madeira Beach, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to his daughter's College Educations at 14104 81st Ave, Seminole, FL 33776. Kristen's Poem for her Dad, Clifford James Teets Dad, it's a word, a label and a name I never thought it would come to this, I guess life's just a dangerous game. You were brought into this world in 1963, Now your soul has been set free. I know you're in a better place now, up in the sky You will forever and always be the apple of my eye. You're with the Big Guy now, I know you'll be in his care, I'm going to miss so much when you hugged me like a bear. I know in spirit, you will always be with me, In everyone's heart is a special place you will be. We have had a roller coaster together, You will always be here always, no matter the weather. As the days went by, and you got sicker, All I wanted to do was see you, so I prayed the week would go by quicker. I thank you for everything that you've ever taught me, You were there to kiss my cuts, or when I was stung by a bee. I know things always get worse before better, You can count that this won't be my last letter. No matter how many times I've messed up, you always had my back, You always were there to make me a midnight snack. Eulogy for Clifford Teets, shared at services 3/5/11: Clifford Not many of us know more than one, unless you are part of the Teets family, so just his name provokes and instant memory for most of us. Clifford loved life; he loved his girls; he loved a good party. He loved a good drama and often lived one. . . taking all of us with him in starring roles at one time or another. Clifford has a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh. The only problem with Cliff telling a good story was that he knew the punch line before anyone else; and more often than not, he cracked himself up before delivering the last line, so the next thing you know, everyone was laughing with him and only he knew what we were laughing at. Clifford had an incredible mind, a photographic memory. He could reproduce paint formulas without writing down a number. He loved the never ending challenge of playing the perfect round of golf- calculating each club AND how many beers it would take to make par. Clifford had a huge heart and an uncanny ability to love. Uncanny, because in his heart of hearts, he wanted to love all of us unconditionally, yet like most of us, he often fell short. One gift Clifford leaves with us is the gift of passion. He was passionate in all he did; he knew no moderation. . .He was either all in, or all out. The gift comes in that fine line between love and hate- both passionate emotions that often mirror each other. Hate is such a strong word though, so let's go with the feeling of frustration. Every one of us loved Clifford, and every one of us has experienced the frustration that NO ONE but Clifford could provoke. We are here today to honor and say goodbye to Clifford. I am blessed because I have the honor and privledge of seeing the best, and sometimes the worst of Clifford every day, in our beautiful daughters. They have his eyes, his laugh, his witty sense of humor, his uncanny ability to love; and yes, his ability to frustrate everyone who loves them. We are blessed because loving Clifford taught our girls to love unconditionally. Accept people for who they are and how to change expectations of everyone we meet. People may fall short of our expectations every day, but that doesn't affect our ability to love them. I believe that God put Clifford into all of our lives so that we would all learn to love a little deeper, laugh a little louder and more often, and most importantly, learn the lesson of forgiveness. We are all able to forgive, because He forgives us.