CLIFFORD G. VOSE
April 9, 1921-May 10, 2011
LAGRANGE -- Clifford G. Vose, 90, LaGrange, N.C., died in the early hours of May 10, 2011, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro, N.C.
Mr. Vose was born in Peterborough, N.H., April 9, 1921.
After his mother's death in 1928, he lived the rest of his childhood in Wilton, N.H., living with his mother's brother.
He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938, and worked on building trails atop the rock formation known as the Old Man of the Mountain. He therefore mourned more meaningfully than others the collapse of this New Hampshire landmark in 2003.
In 1940, he enlisted in the United States Army, and was trained as a hospital corpsman. He was sent to the Philippines in 1941, and was stationed near Manila.
On his 21st birthday, April 9, 1942, United States forces surrendered to the Japanese. Mr. Vose, in a malarial coma, was transported from the Bataan Peninsula via railroad car to an inland prison camp where he spent nearly two years.
He was then transported by troop ship to Japan, where he was put to work in a mine. He was liberated, along with other Allied prisoners, in August 1945.
After a lengthy convalescence, he returned to military service. He completed a distinguished career, retiring as a master sergeant from the United States Air Force in 1962. His final active duty station was Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C.
Mr. Vose is survived by his wife of 65 years Stella Dolores "Pete" (Seagroves) Vose of LaGrange; three sons, G. Michael and his wife, Denise, of Epping, N.H., Matthew of Keene, N.H., and Marvin and his wife, Maxine, of Granite Falls, N.C.; four grandchildren, Cary M. and his wife, Sarah Wappler, of Deerfield, N.H., Jay and Tony of N.H., and Theresa of Seattle, Wash.; and three great-grandchildren, Ella, Aurora and Hazel of Deerfield, N.H.
Mr. Vose was preceded in death by a daughter, Mary, in 1966.
Mr. Vose was a lifetime member of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and the VFW.
He was an avid golfer after his retirement in 1984, and made two holes-in-one while enjoying the companionship of many golfing friends.
A service of remembrance will be held Friday, May 13, 2011, at 11 a.m. at Walnut Creek Free Will Baptist Church, with the Rev. Tony McLamb officiating. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery with military honors.
The family will receive friends Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rouse Funeral Home, and at other times will be at the home.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.rousefh.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 6931 Arlington Road, 2nd Floor, Bethesda, Md., 20814.
Arrangements are with Rouse Funeral Home of LaGrange.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on May 11, 2011 1:47 PM