Clifford Franklin Widener

Clifford “Cliff” Widener, 84, of Tuttle, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on April 22, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. Graveside services will be held at 12:00 PM on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Durham Fairview Cemetery in Durham, Oklahoma. The family will receive friends for visitation on Friday, April 25, 2025, from 3:00 – 6:00 PM at Tribute Memorial Care SW. Services are entrusted to Tribute Memorial Care SW.

Cliff was born on July 12, 1940, in Durham, Oklahoma, to Norman Clifford and Freda Evelyn (Lewis) Widener. He grew up working on the family farm and graduated from Reydon High School in 1959. After earning an associate degree in accounting from Sayre Junior College, Cliff briefly attended Central State University before deciding that life behind a desk wasn’t for him, he preferred to do his work outdoors.

This decision led him to a career in general construction, which eventually brought him to Amarillo, Texas, where he met the love of his life, Crystal. The two married on October 23, 1971, in Peralta, New Mexico, and celebrated 53 years of marriage together.

Cliff began his trucking career in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in 1983, he and his family were transferred to Tuttle, Oklahoma, with Consolidated Freightways (CF). He was known out on the road as the Red Rooster. Over the next two decades, Cliff proudly drove more than a million miles before retiring in 2003. Retirement didn’t slow him down—he purchased the Tri-City Quik Stop Convenience Store in 2008, where he continued working tirelessly until just four days before his passing.

Cliff was preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother, June Widener; sisters, Elaine Wright and Pauline Pennington; stepbrother, Dale Potts; and son-in-law, Rodney Naico spouse of Cathey.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Crystal Widener; daughters, Connie Hargues and husband Eddie, Callie Troglin and partner Jeffrey, and Cathey Naico; brother, Glenn Widener; sisters, Sharon Hyland, step-sister Carolyn Burrows, and half-sister Toni Swartwood; grandchildren, Roper and his wife Jess, Jacie and her husband Dillon, Wyatt, Caitlin, Carson, and Ethan; and great-grandchildren, Langston, Jaxson, Colton, Reydon, Levi, Weston, and Rylee. He also leaves behind a large extended family of nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

Cliff will be remembered for his strong work ethic, his love for his family, and the quiet strength he showed throughout his life. His legacy lives on in the many lives he touched along the road of his remarkable journey.