Clifford LeRoy Rock

Clifford LeRoy Rock, 73, passed away July 10, 2018 at his home in Denver, Colorado,
following a valiant battle with cancer. He was born October 15, 1944 in Englewood,
Colorado to Clifford Russell and Evelyn Moyer Rock.

Cliff attended Englewood schools and eventually graduated from Englewood High
School. He went on to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a
degree in Business Marketing. Cliff was a proud member of the fraternity Alpha Tau
Omega. The brothers he met there remained lifelong friends and were a strong support
network for each other throughout their lives, and many were on hand into his last days.
Their friendship was characterized by great humor and prankstership, allowing for many
stories to be told and retold over the years, to the delight of Cliff's family and friends.

In his youth, Cliff connected strongly with the conservative ideals of small government,
individual freedoms, and free market enterprise. These values led him to become
involved with Joe Coors as a political consultant in the early 1970's. Mr. Coors
eventually founded and Cliff provided leadership at the Mountain States Legal
Foundation, a grassroots organization tasked with defending individuals, businesses,
corporate entities, trade associations, or local units of government, pro bono in litigation
against governments in defense of constitutional liberties and the rule of law.

In 1975 he joined Ronald Reagan's staff in his bid for the Republican nomination for the
Presidency. Cliff served as a delegate for Colorado's Republican Convention, eventually
becoming a delegate to the national convention in 1976 in Kansas City. He worked
closely with Ronald Reagan to ensure that he would win Colorado's delegation, an
endeavor that proved successful in winning 26 of Colorado's 31 votes. After Reagan lost
the nomination, Cliff went on to work diligently on several other campaigns, including
Ted Strickland's gubernatorial campaign in 1978 and Jack Swigert's 1982 congressional
campaign. When Reagan was eventually elected President in 1980, he awarded Cliff a
Presidential appointment to the Colorado Department of Commerce.

Aside from politics, Cliff's great passion was aviation. He earned his Private Pilot's
license in the early 1970's and was in the air as often as possible. Piloting small aircraft
was a particular interest for him, and in 1983, Cliff and his family moved to southern Ohio
so that he could begin working with Fisher Flying Products, a family owned ultralight
aircraft manufacturer. He eventually moved on to found Thorp Aero, an ultralight aircraft
manufacturer, which he built from the ground up. He passed his love for flight on to his
nephew, Craig Linn, helping him start flying lessons as a teenager. Craig eventually
became an accomplished pilot in his own right, currently a Captain at Frontier Airlines.

His love and devotion to family brought Cliff back to Colorado in 1995, and in 2001, he
joined the Federal Aviation Administration as a Transportation Security Agent.
Eventually, he moved into the role of Special Agent in the Hazardous Materials Unit,
ensuring passenger and crew safety on both freight and commercial flights. This was a
dream job for him, and he spent the remainder of his career with the FAA before retiring
in 2017.

Sundays from August until February (fingers crossed!) were spent watching the Broncos
either at home or at Mile High stadium. He was a vociferous fan, and would make great
effort to see the games, even while living in the Midwest. He had a legacy relationship
with the Broncos, going back to his father purchasing tickets in the South Stands in
1960, and he passed his love for the team on to his children.

Cliff was a talented vocalist and sang throughout his day. His deep baritone was at once
soulful and playful, and he enjoyed singing religious songs as well as classics such as
""Mack the Knife"" and the pop classic ""Just a Gigolo."" When he had to travel for work, he
inevitably found a Karaoke contest at a local watering hole, and more often than not,
came home with a trophy after winning. He was jokingly referred to as the ""Karaoke King
of Rock Springs"" after winning a contest there.

Cliff is survived his wife, Alice Prendergast Rock; children, Traci Rock (Mitch Fedak),
Christa Rock (Brian Balchumas), Brady Rock, nephew Craig Linn (Beatriz); Step-Children
Amy Prendergast Plitnick, Christy Prendergast Nedved (Wade), and Beth Prendergast;
sister, Vicki Linn; and his former wife Sally Rock. His grandchildren were the light of his
life, and deserve mention here: Christopher Linn, Matthew Linn, Thomas Linn, Bradyn
Fedak, Ksana Balchumas, Milena Balchumas, Kennedy Nedved, and Andrew Nedved.
He is preceded in death by his father, Clifford Russell Rock; his mother, Evelyn Moyer
Rock; and his brother, Thomas Rock.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, July 16, 2018 at Most Precious Blood
Catholic Church, 2250 S. Harrison Street, Denver, Co. 80210. A reception for family and friends will be held following the service at a private residence.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Tri Delta Cancer Fund for the Children's Hospital: 7368 S. Ogden Way, Centennial, CO 80122-1471.

Funeral Mass: July 16, 2018 10:00 am

Most Precious Blood Catholic Church
2250 S Harrison St.
Denver, CO 80210

https://mpbdenver.org/