Army veteran, family historian

Clifford Joseph “Kip” Soderlund, 83, of East Providence, died peacefully on August 3, 2020. Born and raised in East Providence, he was son of the late John C. Soderlund and Dorothy L. (Swanson) Soderlund.

Cliff was a 1955 graduate of East Providence High School where he played football, basketball and baseball. After graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Army and proudly served his country. He was stationed to Fort Hood, Texas as a Supply Sergeant. While in the U.S. Army, Cliff perused a degree in Psychology at the University of Central Texas.

After leaving the Army in 1958, Cliff completed his B.S in Economics from Bryant College in 1974, then went on to earn his M.A. in Psychology from Boston University in 1978. He later went on to teach in the Continuation Education Program at Bryant University. He was employed by the Emile Bernat & Sons Company of Uxbridge for 19 years as a Purchasing Manager until 1992. He then worked for Securitas (Burns) Security as a Security Officer before retiring in 2017.

Cliff leaves behind two children, Kristina (Soderlund) Maxwell and her husband James Maxwell of Athol, Mass., and Corey Soderlund and his wife Shanna Kay Soderlund of Little Compton. Cliff’s pride and joy were his six grandchildren; Tristan, Elias, Sarina, Zackariah, Lillian and Chase.

He enjoyed traveling, especially hiking in the White Mountains and various parts of New England. Cliff had a great passion for the Soderlund genealogy, tracing back his Swedish family's roots for many generations. Playing golf and spending time with his four brothers John H. ‘Jack” Soderlund of Jacksonville, Fla., Robert S. Soderlund of East Providence, Stephen C. Soderlund of Swansea and Michael N. Soderlund, Sr. of Granby, Conn., was one of his most cherished activities. Cliff loved golf, and he truly loved his brothers.

Cliff enjoyed listening to his favorite music artists of the 60’s and 70’s such as Neil Diamond, the Moody Blues and Emmylou Harris. He loved many and was loved by even more; Cliff was the real “Solitary Man”. He will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers, Kristina and Corey ask that you please consider a donation to the Sierra Club, sierraclub.com. Cliff's love and respect for the environment can be carried on with your generosity and support www.sierraclub.org.

There are no services planned at this time, information will be forthcoming.