Clifford Carl Zieske, age 96 formerly of Gibbon died Sunday, December 31, 2023 at Buffalo Lake Health Care Center in Buffalo Lake.
Funeral service will be 11 AM Friday, January 5, 2023 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gibbon with Pastor Steven Bauer officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be 9 - 11 AM Friday at church.

The Minnesota Valley Funeral home in Gibbon is in charge of the arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for his family or to sign the guestbook go to www.mvfh.org

Cliff is survived by his sister Lyla Freidrichs of Winthrop and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Athenia, sister Laraine, sister Delores Oswald and her husband Arthur, brother-in-law Oliver Freidrichs

Clifford was born on March 27,1927 to Albert and Ella Doering Zieske in Carson, North Dakota and baptized in Grant County, Carson North Dakota. His family moved to Moltke Township, Sibley County in 1931.Cliff was Confirmed March 17, 1940 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Gibbon. He graduated from Gibbon High School in 1945 and was drafted into the army in June after his graduation. After the war he came back to Gibbon and worked for the post office. In 1950 he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. During training he was stationed at 19 different bases. Cliff took every opportunity to educate himself at each base to better himself in improving his skills and knowledge for future job opportunities. While serving in the U. S. Air Force he completed bachelor's degree in government and politics at the University of Maryland graduating in 1959. Cliff also studied Japanese at the Air Force Institute of Yale University. After retiring from the Air Force in 1968 as a Master Sargent, he worked for the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C. as a Special Agent for International Development as an Assistant Inspector General for Security. While in the Air Force he served in Washington, D.C with times stationed in Munich, Germany; Athens, Greece; and Okinawa, Japan. While stationed in Athens, Cliff met his wife Athenia Jalepes. They married June 10, 1956 in Athens. Following Athenia's death in 1995 Clifford moved back to Minnesota in 2000 to be closer to his family. Cliff will be remembered for his eye on details. Always admiring new construction projects and would sit and watch for hours as jobs were worked on. Anyone he knew well could even attest to the fact that he noticed every haircut, style change
or pound gained. He loved to read and enjoyed ordering books from the library. He loved to challenge the librarians and then was amazed that they could actually find the book. He also liked woodworking.

Cliff moved into The Lodge of Winthrop in October, 2018. He then moved into the Winthrop Nursing Home in April, 2021 and transferred to Buffalo Lake Health Care Center when the Winthrop Nursing Home closed in July, 2022.