Obituary of Clifford Melvin Elson

Dr. Clifford M. Elson, age 67, of Niskayuna, New York, died on December 18 peacefully in his home, surrounded by his loving family, having spent the past year and a half battling leukemia. He was born in 1948 to Herman and Libby Elson in New York City and raised in the Bronx. He was a summa cum laude graduate of City College of New York, and graduated from NYU School of Medicine, continuing with his residency in internal medicine and OB-GYN at Albany Medical Center. He practiced medicine from 1977-2000 in Schenectady, New York, leaving private practice to spend more time with his family and taking a position of quality improvement with the NYS Department of Health and a position as Associate Medical Director at Mohawk Valley Medical Associates. Throughout his adult life he combined his lifelong interests in photography and the outdoors, spending much of his free time hiking in the Adirondacks and traveling with his family to National Parks. His enthusiasm for fixing things and building things, starting with a Heathkit receiver and tuner and later home repairs and construction of a Sukkah, was something he began sharing with his grandsons. He is survived by his wife Marilyn, with whom he was “joined at the hip” for 46 years. He fell in love with her at first sight, married her one year later to the day, and they remained deeply in love throughout their marriage. He was a loving and devoted father to his three children, Toby Lee, Steven (Maya), and Michael (Shana), and is also survived by three precious grandsons, Miles, Abel, and Theodor to whom he was a loving and nurturing Zeyde. His life focused on maximizing time spent with his wife, children, and grandchildren, who brought him unspeakable joy. He is also survived by his older brother Norton (Sandy), his nephews Jeremy (Liesl) and David (Carly), his niece Franny (Jonathan), and his grandniece Ahava. Services at Congregation Agudat Achim, 2117 Union Street Schenectady on Monday, December 21, 2015 at 2pm. Interment will follow in the Agudat Achim Cemetery on Schermerhorn Street in Rotterdam In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate contributions in memory of Dr. Clifford Elson be made to Congregation Agudat Achim, 2117 Union Street, Niskayuna, NY 12309 and to Wildwood Foundation