Clifford B. Wiita, 87, of Park Falls, WI, died May 25, 2017.

Cliff was born December 16, 1929, in Ironwood, Michigan, the son of Eino and Violet (Maddern) Wiita. He was raised in the Iron Belt area and graduated from Iron Belt High School in 1947. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1951 with a B.S. in wildlife biology. Before beginning his career as a wildlife manager for the DNR, he served as First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean Crisis and later as a Captain in the Army National Guard.

On December 27, 1952 he married Phyllis Grossmann in Nutley, NJ. Together they celebrated 65 years of marriage and raised two sons, Kip and Phil.

His 40 year career from 1954 to 1995 saw great changes in the science of managing wildlife species, and Cliff contributed in many ways to those advances. Cliff was responsible for the creation of two state wildlife management projects. The Pershing Area in Taylor County is managed for both waterfowl and sharptail grouse. The Kimberly- Clark area in Price County is primarily for sharptails. The wildlife management area which most interested Cliff was that of the white tail deer. Throughout his career Cliff was recognized for his leadership and expertise and was presented with numerous awards including an Outstanding Service Award and the Governor's Award in 1995.

Cliff enjoyed hunting and fishing. After his retirement he and Phyllis traveled extensively, visiting every continent. His favorite trips were to Africa where he enjoyed observing the divergent wildlife and to Panama and Costa Rica where he spent time catching marlin. He was active in the Park Falls community, serving on the school board and took an active part in the Peace Lutheran Church congregation where he served as a member of the church council.
He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; sons Kip (Vicki) and Phil; grandchildren Sarah and Eric (Rachel); great-grandchildren Harriet, Nathaniel, and Benjamin; brother John (Donna) Wiita; sisters-in-law Barb Reiber (Bill) and Nancy Grossmann; nieces Lori Wiita (Eric Estabrook), Elizabeth Macierowski, Wendy Moss, Peggy Reiber, their families; and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and 2 nephews, David Reiber and Bob Wiita.

Cliff will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by his loving family and many colleagues and friends.

The family requests no flowers; memorials may be made instead to Peace Lutheran Church.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday June 24, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church in Park Falls, Wisconsin. There will be a visitation for the hour before the service starting at 10:00 a.m.