Long-time community leader Cliff Lord dies

Cliff Lord

INDIANOLA, Nebraska -- Indianola and Southwest Nebraska lost an "eloquent citizen" and community leader when Indianola businessman Cliff Lord died Tuesday at Community Hospital in McCook.

Clifton C. Lord was 89 years old at the time of his death, having spent all but 10 of those years in Indianola and at the well-known downtown-Indianola hardware store that his grandfather, Andrew Lord, started in 1882.

Mike Harris of Indianola, who filled in as Indianola mayor when Cliff stepped down four-five years ago, said Wednesday afternoon, "Cliff was an amazing community leader. We have lost an eloquent citizen, not only for Indianola, but for all of Southwest Nebraska."

"Anyone who serves for 41 1/2 years on a city council ... that man has a genuine interest in his community," Harris said.

Harris described Lord as a peacekeeper ... a peacemaker. Lord had an ability to blend all sides of an issue, Harris said. "He didn't draw battle lines. He always had a formulation -- he'd say, 'Let's try this, or that,' or 'Let's try it this way.' He was good about blending all the factions."

Harris said Cliff Lord was his mentor as a council member and community leader, even after Cliff stepped away from community service. Harris said he continued to talk to and consult Cliff about issues in the community.

"His eloquence ... his smile. I will miss him as a friend as well," Harris said.

"I'm saddened by his death," Harris said. "He leaves such a mark on the community, not only through his business, but also his community involvement and leadership."

Cliff was born in Indianola on June 5, 1921, and graduated in 1939. He and Anne Gehlbach were married in 1948, and they raised three children in Indianola. The family belongs to St. Catherine's Catholic Church of Indianola, where Cliff was an organist and he and Anne directed the Children's Choir for 25 years.

Cliff was honored by the Indianola Jaycees as an "Outstanding Businessman," by the City of Indianola as a "Man of the Year," by the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce as a "Community Builder," by the Indianola Rotary Club as a "Paul Harris Fellow," by the Nebraska Retailers Association as a "Retailer of the Year," by the State of Nebraska as a "Partner in Prosperity" and by the University of Nebraska as a "Community Improvement Program Leader."

Cliff was a member of the McCook Community Hospital board of trustees, McCook Area Crime Stoppers, Indianola Rotary Club, Elks Club, VFW, American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, the Western Hardware Association, the Nebraska Retailers Association and the National Federal of Independent Businesses.

He is survived by his wife. three children and their spouses, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

More information on Cliff Lord's life can be found on Page 5 of today's Gazette.

A Rosary service is today, at 7 p.m., at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Indianola. A funeral Mass will be Friday, at 10 a.m., also at St. Catherine's Catholic Church. Burial will follow in St. Catherine's Cemetery, also in Indianola.