Clifford Edward Donley

1929 - 2025

Cliff passed away on May 10, 2025. He was born in Pueblo, Colorado, the youngest of 4. At the age of 15, his family moved to California, where he attended Burlingame High School. When a Senior he met his future wife to be, Pat, who attended San Mateo High. Cliff then went to Junior College at Coyote Point for 2 years followed by 2 more years at University of Cincinnati.

In the Fall of 1951, Cliff joined the Coast Guard and went to Officers Candidate School in New London, Connecticut for 4 months. After returning, he and Pat were married in February 1952 (73 years!) and lived in Burlingame. He was sent to Midway for 8 months and later retired as a Coast Guard Captain.

After active duty, Cliff went to San Francisco State and took courses to become a teacher. He was fortunate in being chosen to be on the first Faculty of the new Hillsdale High School upon its opening in 1955 where he taught math. He later became the head of the Department. He also coached tennis and golf while at Hillsdale.

Cliff took a 1 year sabbatical from 1966 – 1967 to attend Cornell in Ithaca, New York. This was a wonderful adventure for Cliff, Pat & their 5 children. After an early retirement at 55, he became a partner in a condo project in Hayward, CA. This kept him busy for several more years.

In 1957 the Eichler Highlands became home. There, Cliff started a Senior group which is still going strong today. Cliff was a strong believer that being physically active and having a purpose in life was the key to longevity. He was never afraid to try new things, or to build and fix things.

When younger, Cliff enjoyed playing golf, tennis and square dancing. Traveling was one of his favorite things to do, especially going to Hawaii, Carmel and Lake Tahoe.

Cliff leaves behind Pat, his wife, 3 daughters, Linda (Richard), Ellen and Leslie, and his son Rick. He was preceded in death by another son, Steven. There are also 6 grandchildren, Nicole, Natalie, Ethan, Eric, Ryan and Kevin, plus nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday October 18 from 1:00 to 5:00 at the family home, 30 Shelburne Place in San Mateo. Hawaiian attire is welcomed.