Clifton C. Lamborn (1919-2011)

LAMBORN, MONTGOMERY, DAVIS

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 3/21/2018 at 13:39:04

Clifton C. "Clif" Lamborn, 92, of Maquoketa, Iowa, died on Monday, January 31, 2011, at the Maquoketa Care Center in Maquoketa, Iowa.

A celebration of his life will be held at 11 A.M., Saturday, February 5, 2011, at the First United Methodist Church in Maquoketa. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 P.M. on Friday, February 4, 2011, at Carson & Son Funeral And Cremation Services in Maquoketa, Iowa. Burial will be at the Mount Hope Cemetery, Maquoketa, Iowa, where military rites will be accorded.

Clifton C. "Clif" Lamborn was born on January 17, 1919 on a farm located south of Bellevue, Iowa, to Charles and Inez (Montgomery) Lamborn. He went to country school and then on to public high school in Bellevue, graduating in 1936. He married Marshalline Davis on December 4, 1942 in Missouri. She preceded him in death on August 27, 1993.

Clifton's career as road builder began with an entry level job thanks to Maquoketa's politically powerful, Abe Hurst. Hurst was a longtime board member of the Iowa Highway Commission (now the Iowa DOT) including service as its chairman. In four years, Clif worked his way up to the post of the commission's inspector of asphalt construction projects. Then he was chosen to be the trainer of inspectors. On July 16, 1941, his name was picked on one of the first drawings of the draft. He then served in the U.S. Army Engineers in World War II. After basic training, he was assigned to an engineering unit that did construction work on the expanding army bases in the southeastern states. Following the Allied landing in Normady, his unit came ashore at LeHavre. They built bridges and made other improvements to the roads used by shuttle trucks.

Upon his honorable discharge, he arrived back in San Francisco on January 8, 1946 and a reunion with his wife Marshalline.

Clifton than continued his career in road construction. A career that would span over 52 years, first with the Iowa DOT, then superintendent of Flinn Paving Co. of Omaha. He and Marshalline then started Lamborn Construction Co., Inc. of Maquoketa in 1954. They later organized and operated Prairie Road Builders, Inc. of Hazelton, Iowa, Richards Construction Co. at Washington, Iowa, Lamborn's Clothing Store at Bellevue, Lamborn's Ready Mix Concrete Co. at Miles, Bear River Tiling Co., Inc., Lamborn Mobile Home Park, Inc. and a farm operation. He also was a partner in the Hurstville Land Development Inc., which purchased the town of Hurstville and 651 acres of land in 1978.

Clifton's political career started in 1966 as he was elected to the state senate and served 10 years. He served 4 years as Republican Majority Leader and 2 years as Minority Leader. While he was the Majority leader he was on the committee that acquired Terrace Hill, which became the governor's mansion. He also served on the board that restored the "Old Capitol Building" in Iowa City.

Through the years, Clifton had been active in many community projects and organizations. He had served as the mayor of Maquoketa from 1990 to 1991 and again from 1994 to 1995. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Maquoketa American Legion Post #75, Lions Club, Maquoketa Chamber of Commerce, and the Izaak Walton League. He was past president and board member of the Jackson County Historical Society. He was very interested in genealogy and traced family roots back to England in 1166. He also was an avid collector of Iowa County History books and had collected over half of the counties. He enjoyed turkey hunting, and enjoyed horses.

Clifton is survived by a daughter, Janet Parmater of Maquoketa, IA; a grandson, James Clifton Parmater of Murrieta, CA; and a cousin, Amy Lamborn Mills of Jacksonville, FL. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials may be directed to the Jackson County Historical Society or the Jackson County Prevent Child Abuse Coalition.

Online condolences may be left at www.CarsonAndSon.com.