The wife of Clifton Christian writes:
"Clifton Christian grew up on the mean streets of Corpus Christi, Texas, the abandoned child of a poor, black sharecropper."
If you knew Cliff, you'd know how he began every single biography that he wrote for himself with the previous sentence. He was a comedian in every single sense of the word, striving to make people laugh no matter what the cost.
Clifton, "Cliff," was born January 10, 1968 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He lived the majority of his life either in the Corpus Christi area or, later on, in the Brazoria/Houston region. Around 1996 he moved to Chicago and in 2001 back to Houston with his "Yankee" bride.
In 1985, at age 17, he was in a car accident that changed his life forever. After this point, he was confined to a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury. He remained in that chair for the rest of his life. The week before that car accident he had made an appointment with the Air Force because his ultimate dream was to work with NASA and become an astronaut. His entire life had changed due to a twist of fate. Cliff, being the overachiever he was, resolved to graduate high school that year, on time. As with everything he set his mind to, he did achieve his goal. Unfortunately, the closest he was able to become an astronaut was to help write a computer program that, as far as he was aware, NASA is still using today. Despite his disability, he dreamed of being the first handicapped person to help colonize Mars.
Because of his love of science and space travel, he was a huge fan of science fiction. There was barely a day that Cliff didn't talk about Star Trek (or any of its spin-off series), Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Mythbusters, Blue Collar TV, and, although he rarely admitted to it Mad TV and, Saturday Night Live. His favorite TV channels were the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, Comedy Central, and, of course, the Sci-Fi Network.
In 1998, Cliff and I met at an improv comedy club in Chicago. We married in 2000 and spent a wonderful five years married. We shared two major passions - our love for each other, and comedy. He started The Young Urban Comedians' Club in 1998 and when we moved to Houston in 2001, we continued our work. His ultimate dream was to open his own theatre in Houston where we could perform nightly and teach improv to others that wanted to learn our art form. He collapsed at our regular weekly show on October 7, 2005.
Cliff, here are a few words from me to you:
You always joked that when you died you wanted to be shot into the sun. Baby, I can't do that for you, but when I heard about this option I just knew I had to get you there ‹ especially since an actor from one of your favorite TV shows will be with you. You've been an inspiration to me and anyone else who was lucky enough to spend time with you. I'm happy that I, with the help of our friends, can give this final gift to you. Your love and light will shine on and I know that while soaring in the heavens, you'll be making everyone on board with you laugh just like you did during your life.
Love, Dawn
My baby. My love. My sweetheart. My Cliff. You're everything to me.
"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."
- The Princess Bride
