Clifford Buoen -- loving husband, devoted father and grandfather and Minnesota labor leader who served on a presidential commission -- died September 6 at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minn. He was 93.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, September 14, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, Minn., with the Rev. John Voelker, PhD officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Cemetery, Thief River Falls. Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.

Memorial service Tuesday, September 18, 7:00 PM, Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church, 2020 Lake of the Isles Parkway, Minneapolis, MN.

Clifford George Buoen was born on June 30, 1914, to Colman and Clara (Arneson) Buoen in Thief River Falls, where he grew up and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1932. Clifford married Viola Eleanor Adolphson on August 3, 1937, in South Dakota. They lived in Thief River Falls before moving in 1955 to Robbinsdale, Minn., where the couple raised their six children and resided for the remainder of their lives. Viola, an accomplished dollmaker, died in 1988.

Early in his working life, Clifford was employed as a brakeman by the Soo Line Railroad. He was later elected local chairman of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen and went on to become general chairman in Minneapolis of the United Transportation Union. During President Lyndon Johnsons administration, Clifford was appointed to a commission of labor leaders from around the country that worked to settle a national labor dispute. Throughout his life he was a strong advocate for working men and women and a supporter of progressive causes.

Clifford was a voracious reader of English literature and U.S. and European history. He was also a skilled furniture maker and cabinetmaker. But his greatest strength was his devotion to his family and his concern about his children and grandchildren, always stressing the importance of education and critical thinking in their lives.

Clifford is survived by his children Diane Larson, Plymouth, Minn.; Lance (Kathleen), Roseville, Minn.; Karen (Fred) Driver, White Bear Lake, Minn.; Roger (Cynthia), Arden Hills, Minn.; Kathryn (Faruk) Abuzzahab, Minneapolis; Dr. Victoria Buoen, White Bear Lake, Minn.; 17 grandchildren: Lori, Tamara, Lisa, Karolyn, Jen, Stephen, Justin, Erik, Brita, Omar, Christiania, Joseph, Erica, Alexandra, Vanessa, James, Thomas; eight great grandchildren: Kathleen, Phillip, Michael, Kara, Briana, Josslyn, Caitlin, Hayden; great-great granddaughter Olivia Viola; sisters-in-law Edna Mae Buoen, Kay Adolphson and Joyce Hillyer, and nieces and nephews.

Clifford was preceded in death by his parents, wife Viola, grandson Freddy Driver, sister Eileen Weber, brother Lorin and son-in-law Dr. George Miller.

Memorials preferred to Thief River Falls Area Friends of the Library, 210 LaBree Ave. N., PO Box 593, Thief River Falls, MN, 56701, or Trinity Lutheran Church, 325 Horace Ave. N., Thief River Falls, MN 56701

ORGANIST: Ida Nordvall
SOLOIST: Diane Johnson
SELECTIONS: How Great Thou Art, The Holy City
CONGREGATIONAL HYMNS: The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace
CASKETBEARERS: Omar Abuzzahad, Justin Buoen, Erik Buoen, Joseph Miller, James Miller, Thomas Miller, Phillip Campbell, Michael Halstead