Cliff Arthur Dierolf

Goodbye my dear friend...
It was August 1990 in Tempe, AZ. 100+ degrees out. My mom was dropping me off at the ASU McClintock Hall (Honors College Dorm) for my 1st semester. We see this brooding, scary tall blond guy wearing a trenchcoat walk past our car. My mom turns to me and says "whatever you do, stay away from that guy."
35 years later and I still call "that guy" my good friend. We went in and out of each other's lives throughout the years. He helped me build stuff, move stuff, and take care of people. I gave him shoes, clothes, food and rides, and made up jobs that needed to be done so I could give him money when he was down on his luck.
Cliff didn't ask for help. Cliff just made things work out. He told me about the homeless man who he let stay at his house because he knew what it was like to be homeless. His family became the neighborhood cats that he fed and the assorted friends that he shared a meal with, a vape with, or a room with.
What most people didn't know was that this scary guy had a heart of gold. Even when life disappointed him, he still helped others whenever he could.
He was a good person and a good friend (although I'm not gonna lie, he drove me crazy a lot!) Although I continue to lose people in my life that I care for, I am grateful he was a part of it.

Cliff was a dear friend and member of the JRs Shoes and Boots Family.

Cliff worked alongside our founder and owner JR (Jay Rivin), in the store after he had hernia surgery in 2017, and then again on and off for years after JR broke his hip in 2018. In fact, Cliff happened to be in JR's apartment the day he fainted and broke his hip. Had Cliff not been with him, JR would have probably died from his injuries before emergency care could have been rendered.

The JRs Shoes and Boots family owes a great thanks to our friend Cliff. Hopefully JR met him in heaven with a hearty handshake, a joke, and a tuna & relish sandwich .

You will be missed my friend.

Klyf was a good guy, I remember how when I first met him, his name in medieval reenactment was Zed the Doomed. Our leader at the time changed it to Zed the Almost Doomed, and that bought him another 30 years, but doom comes to us all. I will miss you Klyf.

Cliff introduced me to MAD magazine and confounded my scampish nature with the likes of gifted education. One of the truest friends I ever had.