Clifford Roger Trent

Clifford Roger Trent was born on September 12, 1935 to James Milton Trent and Annabelle Moothart Trent in Waterloo, Iowa. He married Marcie Trent (Lillian Marcella Damgaard) on May 24, 1956. They were blessed by a fabulous marriage and friendship for nearly seven decades. A few years after they were married, their daughter Vickie Trent was born and a few decades later, their granddaughter Brooke Trent was born. After a short battle with the complications of acute myeloid leukemia, Clifford entered into the arms of Jesus on March 14, 2024, at Mayo Methodist Hospital, in Rochester, Minnesota, surrounded by his family.

From an early age, Clifford loved the land and was a good steward of it. By age 5, he was driving his dad's John Deere Model D tractor by himself on the straight road between his dad's and his uncle's neighboring farms in Orange Township. He continued to farm in Orange Township into his 30s. Along with his parents, Clifford and Marcie owned and operated Trent Quality Egg Farm, which kept them busy farming 17,000 chickens. In 1968, the farm was purchased by Sunnyside Country Club for development, so Clifford and Marcie relocated to their current farm near Janesville where they continued to farm corn and soybeans. Clifford would often quip that he never worked a day in his life because a person "can't call it work if you love what you do."

In addition to farming, Clifford never "let grass grow under his feet." For 33 years, he was a sales representative for Pioneer Seeds. He also worked at Rath Packing Company for just six months before deciding he strongly preferred to be his own boss. Clifford and Marcie also owned Trent Apartments that had many units in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, mostly near the UNI campus, in the 1960s-1980s. They became lifelong friends with many of their tenants, some of whom were from different cultures from around the world; they enjoyed entertaining them at the farm. Trent Apartments was among the first landlords near the UNI campus to welcome all races and cultures as tenants before and during the tumultuous Civil Rights movement in the early 1960s. Clifford and Marcie also owned orange and grapefruit groves as well as apartments in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas where they wintered during the 1970s-1980s.

In 2002, at the age of 67, when he and Marcie began wintering in Florida, they also began working seasonally for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Clifford was honored to receive the Disney Difference Award for providing outstanding guest service as a cast member. While he retired from Walt Disney World in 2012 after 10 years of seasonal service, he did not retire from farming until 2019 (at the age of 84).

Clifford grew up attending the South Waterloo Church of the Brethren. He was later an active member and trustee of the River's Edge Christian Church (formerly Waterloo Church of Christ). In the 1970s-1980s, he enjoyed assisting missionaries in Mexico and he remained in contact with many of the people he met during that time. In the 1970s, he and several others formed the Cedar Falls Church of Christ. Along with some friends, Clifford and Marcie helped start Christ for UNI where Sunday services and weekly Bible studies were held for UNI students. During winters in his later years, he enjoyed services at First Christian Church in Kissimmee, Florida, as his winter church home. He had a deep love for the Lord.

Clifford loved vehicles, equipment, and solving problems. In the 1960s, Clifford and a group of friends bought a "bucking car" that they utilized in parades throughout the Cedar Valley until the insurance company said "bucking cars" would no longer be insured. In the 1980s, Clifford enjoyed collaborating with his daughter Vickie on designing her newly built home to be "green before green was cool" as the home was both solar powered and energy efficient. Clifford and Vickie both served as the joint general contractors during construction. They enjoyed every minute of working together on her home across the road from the farm. Clifford and Vickie shared a mutual love of trees and planting them for the future. In the 2000s, at Antique Acres, Clifford and his son-in-law Byron enjoyed showcasing their 1930 Ford Model A car and their 1935 John Deere Model D tractor which they restored together and which was originally purchased brand-new by Clifford's dad Jim Trent the year Clifford was born.

Clifford enjoyed being involved in his community, especially during his younger years. In the 1950s, he performed in Orange Township's traveling community theater performances. He also played the role of "Dad" in his high school production of "Cheaper by the Dozen." He enjoyed playing the accordion for the Accordion House. During his youth, he enjoyed being a member of FFA and 4-H. Those memberships lead to his service as a 4-H leader of the Orange Boosters and Kings. Starting in his teenage years (yes, really, his teenage years), he enjoyed driving the school bus for his alma mater of Orange Township School. Later in life, he also served on the Board of Directors for the Hudson Co-Op and later as a Trustee for Mount Vernon Township. Clifford was also a committee member for the Janesville Dollars for Scholars for many years.

He loved to travel and was proud that he visited all 50 states. Clifford and Marcie also traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Austria, Columbia, Costa Rica, Aruba, Panama, and many Caribbean Islands. Clifford was incredibly social and a wonderful conversationalist, so he would easily make a new friend (or ten) wherever he went. He always was able to use humor to connect with people. He looked forward to Sunday lunches with friends from his Waterloo church and his Kissimmee church. And he never missed an opportunity for a prank… in particular, his yearly, elaborate April Fools' Day jokes on his granddaughter Brooke. He and Marcie loved playing board games with their granddaughter Brooke and grandson-in-law Jubal. Clifford also had an uncanny ability to remember nearly everything he ever read.

Clifford was a man of integrity who modeled devotion and love to his family on a daily basis. He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, and grandfather-in-law; he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. His greatest joy was when his family was together.

He is survived by his best friend and wife of nearly 68 years Marcie Trent, his daughter Dr. Vickie Trent (and her husband Byron Mather), his granddaughter Brooke Trent (and her husband Jubal Slone), his beloved "grand-dogs" Miss Lovey and Greta, his sister Geraldine Trent Tessman, several nephews and nieces, and many cousins (many of whom he loved as siblings). In Heaven, he joins his parents, his sister Erma Trent Scarlett and his nephew Barry Tessman.

An open house celebration of his life will be held at Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home on Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 4-8pm, with a brief program and prayer service at 6:30pm. If anyone desires to make a memorial gift in Clifford's honor, the family would ask that such gifts be directed to Mayo Clinic ( https://www.mayoclinic.org/giving-to-mayo-clinic/ways-to-give ) or to International Disaster Emergency Service (in partnership with the Christian Church) for medical care items ( https://ides.org/donate ).

"Those who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever." -Daniel 12:3 (The Message Translation).