SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Clifton Leroy Blaisdell, 92, formerly of Wales, passed away Friday, Nov. 30, in Scottsdale, Ariz., following a lingering illness.

Clifton was born on Jan. 12, 1920, in Leeds, the son of Herbert L. and Florence A. (Hartford) Blaisdell. He was a graduate of Monmouth Academy, Class of 1937. Following his graduation, he worked in the hotel industry for several years. On March 21, 1941, he was united in marriage to Myra (Stark) Butterfield of Monmouth. They made their home in Leeds Junction and he was later employed by the Auburn Dye Company before being drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge and at the end of the war he served in the Occupation Army in Germany. He returned to the U.S. on Dec. 31, 1946. He returned to work at the Auburn Dye Company as a pattern maker until his retirement in 1982.

His wife, Myra, predeceased him in 1979. On July 5, 1980 he married Kathleen (Connor) Webster of Wales. They resided in Wales until her death in 2002. In Oct. 2002, he moved to Arizona to live with his daughter, Sandra. Clifton was a longtime member of the Order of Eastern Star, Boynton Chapter of Monmouth and later the Mystic Chapter in Litchfield; a member of Masonic Lodge No. 110 in Monmouth and a member of the Androscoggin Grange No. 8 in Greene; he also was a 50-year member of the Maine State Grange. He attended the Church at Wales Corner from the mid 1950s until his move to Arizona.Clifton was very active in The Blaisdell Family Association, New England Chapter, having served in several offices, including as president in the mid 1970s. He also enjoyed square dancing, gardening, playing horseshoes and shuffleboard, and he had a lifelong passion for stamp collecting.

He is survived by his only child, Sandra Gene (Blaisdell) Knight and her husband, John C. Knight of Scottsdale, Ariz.; a granddaughter, Laura Anne Knight and her husband, Thomas W. Grierson of Indiana, Pa.; a grandson, John C. Knight III and his wife, Beth (Gruizenga) Knight of Warsaw, Ind.; and two great-grandchildren, Alexander Clifton Knight and Melissa Irene Knight of Warsaw, Ind.; stepchildren, Marlene and John Conner of Wales and Arizona, Ralph and Sue Webster of Wales and Cindy and Patrick McDonald of Wales; nine stepgrandchildren; and 11 step-great-grandchildren. 

He was predeceased by his stepgranddaughter, Stephanie Webster.

Messages of condolence may be sent to: www.finleyfuneralhome.com.