VANMETER, CLIFFORD
PORTAGE, MICHIGAN
Clifford "Cliff" Edward VanMeter, 61, passed away November 16, 2018. He was born December 26, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois.
Cliff's family moved around with the military a lot during his childhood; he loved the change of scenery and experiencing and learning new things. This eventually translated into him serving our country proudly as an MP in the United State Marine Corps. He also attended Lambuth University in Tennessee, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
He was proud of his Irish and Southern heritage. He was known to be funny and loved telling interesting stories, never running out of things to say. The arts were very important to Cliff. He loved to read and created many works of art over the years, especially wildlife paintings, many of which hang in the homes of his loved ones. He was also a writer and completed two science fiction novels. Cliff was a geek of sorts—he especially loved comic books and gadgets. During his time at Valiant Comics in the 90s, he pioneered digital coloring within comic books. He also really loved bears, deeming himself an "amateur bear scientist."
He is survived by his loving wife, Betsy Smeed; children, Donald VanMeter, Erin Felty, Caitlin Barlow-VanMeter, and Rose Barlow-VanMeter; two grandchildren; sister, Alice; and his beloved dog, Charlie.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.