After graduating from Fresno State College with a journalism degree, Cliff Groff, or Skip as his family calls him, earned his living writing for California newspapers in Fresno, Merced, and Santa Maria. He moved to Kennewick, WA and wrote for a paper there, too. During his lifetime, he acted in theater plays, became active in politics, served on a city council, and served as a deputy mayor. Didnt he create quite a life for himself? Cliff married Catherine Smith of Coalinga in 1957. They raised a son and a daughter together. I asked Cliff about Cathys family and he told me this: Cathys mother was Margaret Loomer. She was related to Ben Loomer (who once ran a lumber yard in Coalinga) and his wife. That couple lived a block away from the Pilakowski residence on Harvard St. during part of the 1950s and 1960s, and they were the grandparents of Cathy Mabry and Billy Matthews. That means Cathy (Smith) Groff and Cathy Mabry are cousins. It saddened me to learn that Cathy Mabry passed away not long ago. I believe she graduated from Coalinga High School in 1958 or 1959. Her half brother, Billy Matthews. was in the class ahead of me, and Barbara and I played with him as kids. Billy Matthews graduated from Coalinga High in 1967. It really is a small world!
Posted on: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 22:36:47 +0000
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