Clifford K. Waag, 91 of Akron, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at the Akron Care Center.

There will be a private burial at Pleasant Hill Chapel Cemetery in rural Akron, South Dakota. Military honors will be provided at the burial by Hoschler American Legion Post 186 of Akron, Iowa.

There will be a joint Celebration of Life for Clifford and his wife Shirley, who passed away in March 2020, at Immanuel Lutheran Church at a later date. Expressions of sympathy may be expressed to the family through www.rexwinkelfh.com.

Clifford Kenneth Waag was born on the Waag farmstead In Spink Township, Union County, South Dakota to Charles W. And Mina (Larson) Waag on August 20, 1929. Clifford was baptized at Brule Creek Lutheran Church, rural Spink area, and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Akron, Iowa.

He attended Pleasant Hill School, District #59 and Johnson Township country schools and Westfield Community School.  He is a Korean War era U.S. Army veteran, serving in tank units in both Japan and Korea from 1952 through 1953. His tour of duty in Korea included the task of guarding North Korean prisoners of war.  He received an early Honorable hardship discharge from the Army to take over the bulk of family farm duties from his father who had suffered a devastating stroke.

On May 1, 1955 he married Shirley Ann Johnson at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elk Point, SD.

Clifford came from a long line of family farmers on both sides of his family and farming was his chosen vocation as well. When his beloved uncle Helmer Larson passed away, Clifford and his younger brother Raymond inherited the Larson family farm which was homesteaded by their great-grandfather in 1867. Clifford took great pride in receiving a quasquicentennial recognition award from the South Dakota Farm Bureau at the 1992 State Fair in Huron, SD for 125 years of family ownership of the Larson family farm. Clifford and Shirley made their home on another Century Farm in Sioux Valley Township in Union County, SD for over 40 years, and they both deeply appreciated the legacies associated with these farms, the beauty of the steep loess hills that formed the contours of the land, and the Brule and Union Creek watersheds bisecting their farms and sustaining crop yields, even in very dry years. Seeing the success of his crops gave him great pleasure and pride year after year, and he actively crop farmed until he was 70 years old.

Clifford was a past member of American Legion Hoschler Post 186 in Akron, IA. For many years, he prepared and sliced the meat at the annual hog roast, helped with placement of American flags on Avenue of Flags each Memorial Day, and worked at the trap shoot on Veterans' Day. He was also a member of VFW Post 915 in Elk Point, SD. He enjoyed several fishing trips he and Shirley made to a favorite lake in northeast South Dakota and also enjoyed fishing in the local area. He fondly recalled special fishing outings he went on as a child with his uncle Helmer.

Survivors include his daughter Lynette A. (James) Kiger, son Kenneth R. Waag, granddaughter Kirsten V. Simon, brother Donald L. Waag, all of Akron; one sister in law, Esther Haines of Elk Point, SD, two brothers in law, Otto (Pat) Johnson of Boston, NY, and David (Pattie) Johnson of McCook Lake, SD.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Shirley Ann, his parents, Charles and Mina Waag, brother Raymond A. and his wife, Shirley P. Waag, parents in law, J. Ingvald and Eleanor Johnson, brothers in law, Paul D. Johnson and his wife Faye, Clifford E. Haines, and sisters in law Neva and her husband Victor "Bill" Gardner, Evonne Bancroft, and Elaine Johnson.