Erma Ruth Clifton
November 21, 1929 - September 4, 2022
Erma (Halt) Clifton was born in 1929 near Akron, Ohio, to Floyd and Moyne (Rogers) Halt. She was the youngest of four girls. The family moved to Clay County, Indiana, just east of the town of Cory, when Erma was five months old. In 1941 Floyd and Moyne bought a piece of property in Cory, built a home from trees cut from the land, and created a farm. Erma graduated from Cory High School in 1947. The following year she lost her father to a sudden illness. The four daughters rallied around their mother to save the farm.
When Erma was 15 she attended a zone rally for youth at Terre Haute First Church of the Nazarene. There she met a boy named Bob Clifton who had just moved down from Chicago. They began going together a few months later and were married at the age of 19 at the Clay City Church of the Nazarene. Their son Richard was born the following year, and Karen followed three years later. In 1959 the family moved back to the Halt homestead, where Bob and Erma shared a life together for the next 63 years. The beautiful Clifton Farm greets anyone who pulls off State Road 46 and passes the Cory Church of the Nazarene. Together they farmed 350 acres until 1994. Erma drove the tractor, combine, or dump truck, sometimes getting back to the house just in time to put dinner on the table and call Bob on the CB radio (call sign: "Flying Farmer"). She also drove a bus route for the Clay City schools for several years, often parking the bus in the field so she could climb onto the tractor. After the nest was empty and the grandkids had started appearing, Bob and Erma opened their lives to a teenage boy named Mike. Mike found a home with them and was soon the third to call Erma "Mom."
Erma's faith in Jesus Christ was her compass for nine decades. She rarely missed a service at the Cory Church, where her alto helped anchor congregational hymns like "Higher Ground" and "When We All Get to Heaven." She volunteered countless hours there and drove the county roads picking up anyone who needed a ride on Sunday morning. She and Bob read from her King James Bible every morning and prayed for their family and friends by name. Together they led 40 Nazarene mission trips across the country and around the world. Erma would manage the kitchen and housing while Bob took the lead on the work projects. In honor of this work, Erma received two Great Commission Awards from the church's Southwest Indiana District, and a Distinguished Service Award from the international church. On these mission trips as well as their other travels together, they visited all 50 States, all 7 continents, and more than 50 countries. After retirement, she and Bob began spending winters in Hawaii, where they made many friends and shared countless walks on the beach.
Erma's friends and family will remember how ready she was to feed and house guests, unexpected or not. How easy it was to get her laughing so hard the tears would come. And of course, her mashed potatoes, apple crisp, and blackberry pie.
Erma departed this life on September 4, 2022, preceded by her parents, an infant brother, and her three sisters. Along with many friends and extended family members, she will be missed by her beloved husband of 73 years, Bob; her children: Richard, Karen, and Mike; their spouses: Beverly, Danny, and Terri; her grandchildren: Regina, Renee, Robin, Eric, Tony, Heidi, Heather, and Amanda; and her great grandchildren: Pierson, Perrin, Providence, Phoenix, Sullivan, Savannah, Arielle, Bella, Sutton, Soren, Brody, Lev, Anya, Lola, Cedar, and Shiloh.
Arrangements for Mrs. Clifton are being handled by Schoppenhorst Funeral Home in Clay City, Indiana.
Visitation will take place in the sanctuary of the Cory Church of the Nazarene on Saturday September 10th, 2022, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Services will be Sunday September 11, 2022, at 3:00 PM with visitation beginning at 2:00 PM in the larger building behind the church. Graveside services will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Should friends so desire, donations may be made in Erma’s name to Department of World Mission for the Church of the Nazarene and sent to Cory Church of the Nazarene 245 S County Rd 500 W, Cory, IN 47846.
