Clifford Lee Dopps

Clifford Dopps spent his working life on the land but enjoyed his retirement on the sea. Tragically, the sea claimed his life too soon at the age of 73 and has not returned him to us.

Cliff was born on March 24th, 1943, in Outlook, Wash. His parents, Dan and Martha, moved to Othello in the winter of ‘55 along with his younger brother Tom where they purchased land, built a homestead and started the farm. Cliff attended Othello High School where he met and made lifelong friends. After a year of college at WSU, the call of the land brought him back to the farm where he pursued his first passion in life: farming.

However, his greatest passion was his wife of 50 years, Sandy Knowles, who he courted on trips to the Tri-Cities along with his high school friend Dwayne Michel who courted his passion, Donna Poland. Cliff and Sandy were married on November 26, 1966 and gave birth to twin boys, Steve and Stan, in September of 1968. One month later Dwayne and Donna Michel gave birth to another set of twin boys, Devon and Darin, and the boys have been best friends ever since. The two families shared experiences fishing, hunting and snowmobiling at the Dopps cabin which Cliff built on Lake Cle Elum.

Over the years Cliff expanded the farm through hard work and smart business sense. It was truly a family farm with Sandy driving big farm trucks while raising the boys who worked the farm until they went to college to start their own careers. Cliff was a successful farmer who was able to retire at 58 and pursue his other life-long passion: fishing. A fisherman at heart he spent many years on the Columbia River chasing salmon and countless hours stream fishing for trout in the backwoods of the Cascades. However, his true calling was the wild ocean and the king of fish: the chinook salmon. Cliff built his fishing house in Forks on the Washington coast where he would spend the spring and summer on his boat with his first mate Rick, his second mate and trusted dog Rio and so many other fishing friends and family.

At home, Cliff and Sandy would harvest berries and vegetables from their massive garden, freezing, canning and pickling countless jars and sharing the bounty with hundreds of friends, neighbors and family across the state. But Cliff’s real garden was the ocean where he spent his retirement years catching, canning, smoking and freezing an amazing bounty which he would share with everyone he knew. Cliff was a big man with a big heart and a bigger personality who will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his dear wife, Sandy, and his two sons’ family: Stan, Carola, Cianna and Anisa Dopps and Steve, Sheryl, Skylar and Sierra Dopps.

Please join us for a celebration in memorial of Cliff’s life beginning at 10:30 Saturday, Aug. 27, at Stevens Funeral Chapel in Othello, Wash. A meal and more memories will follow during a reception at the Othello Senior Center.