Mr. Clifton Peter Tapo Jr.

TAPO, Mr. Clifton Peter Jr. - Age 88, passed away Friday, August 30, 2019 at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, MI. Family hour 10:00 AM Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 6901 N. Saginaw St., with funeral service commencing at 11:00 AM Pastor Randy Schultz officiating. Interment River Rest Cemetery, G-4413 Flushing Rd. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10:00 AM Saturday. Mr. Tapo will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed from 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday with the family present from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM to receive friends. Clifton Peter “Cliff” Tapo Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 24, 1931, the son of Clifton P. Tapo Sr. and Beatrice Richards as the eldest son in a family consisting also of one sister Joyce and one brother Stanley. Both his mother and father remarried and produced one brother Jerome Farbe, and two sisters Evola Armstrong and Catherine Pascal, all of which are deceased. Cliff was baptized at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School. He graduated from McDonough 35 public high school in New Orleans. At the early age of (17) Cliff joined and proudly served the United States Army as a “Buck Private”. Within six years he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He served in several capacities such as Platoon Leader, executive officer, and instructor of tactics and field operations. In 1950, he met and married an in-service WAC (Women’s Army Corp.) member---Martha spending 69 joyful loving years of marriage. They produced 3 lovely children, two daughters Celestian, Cherryl and a son Byron. In 1953, he was assigned to a tour of Korea as the conflict was drawing to a close. In 1959, he served in Germany with his family accompanying him. In 1965, he was assigned again to Korea. They traveled together through each of the fifty states and numerous foreign countries. Celestian and Cherryl have gone to be with our Lord, but each produced a beautiful grandchild. For ten years Cliff had the experience of caring for Celestian’s loving daughter Angela who was afflicted with Sickle Cell Anemia until she passed at age 13. After 21 years army service Cliff retired to work for GMAC for 23 years and became affiliated with Our Savior Lutheran Church where he served as Lay Minister, Usher, and Teacher. Cliff is survived by his wife, Martha Tapo; son Byron (Sherri) Tapo; son-in-law, Steven Kagen, (Cherryl’s husband); sister, Joyce Verrett of South Carolina and her family consisting of Lester (Monica) McKee, Stanley Verrett of Los Angeles Jeannine (Keith) Hempstead of South Carolina, Rory (Tamara) Verrett of Potomac, MD; sister-in-law, Nancy Rheaves; and a number of grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. The family would like to express special thanks to Pastor Shultz & Wife Dinah and Our Savior Lutheran Church for their love and kindness during his time of illness.

Mr. Clifton Peter Tapo Jr.

January 24, 1931 - August 30, 2019