Dr. Chris Clifford, a beloved Dearborn dentist and father of five, died after a car accident Monday afternoon on his way home from work. He was 41 years old.
In a three-car crash on Telegraph Road in Dearborn, Clifford was rear-ended while stopped at a stoplight, his wife Lindsey Clifford said. He was transported to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries.
Clifford and his wife Linsdey, of Webster Township, were high school sweethearts who had been married for 20 years. They have two adopted children together, 20-year-old Artjoms and 17-year-old Milana, and three biological children – Lily, 14, Caleb, 12, and Charlie, 10.
“He loved us so much. He was at every sports game for the kids. … He was a great cook, a great dad,” Lindsey said. “When we adopted Artjoms and Milana, they were teenagers and he just worked so hard to create a great relationship with them. He was so close to them. They lost their parents and now they’re losing another parent.”
“He just did everything for us,” Lindsey continued. “Even though he’s a dentist, he’d come to the house and change the oil in all the cars, change the brakes, and teach my older ones how to do everything in the car. He always gave me gas. I haven’t pumped gas in a long time for he took care of it for me.”
While a devoted father and husband, Clifford was also a “very accomplished dentist” who graduated at the top of his class from the University of Michigan Dental School in 2009, with high honors, according to the Newman Family Dental Center in Dearborn. He had most recently joined Newman in April 2023 as a partner and dentist.
“It was his dream to own or be a partner in a dental practice, and Newman was a great fit,” Lindsey said. “Melissa, his partner, is wonderful and wonderful, and they were looking forward to a great partnership moving forward.”
He served on the Academy of General Dentistry’s Continuing Education Committee and belonged to a dental honor society known as Omicron Kappa Upsilon.
“He was a very loving, caring husband, father of five, boss and dentist,” according to Newman Family Dental Centers. “He had a loyal following as a dentist. … (He) was very active in helping other dental students and his community.”
Messages of condolence poured in on social media, including heartfelt sentiments from former colleagues and patients – calling Clifford a “lovely dentist”, “friendly” and “a great man”.
“How tragic”, commented a former colleague on Facebook. “I worked with him years ago at a dental office in Canton. Really nice guy. I’m so sad to hear this. Deepest condolences and prayers to his family.”
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Lindsey recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University with her degree in speech pathology and was supposed to start a new job on Wednesday. She plans to start work soon, but in the meantime, a GoFundMe was set up by Lindsey’s best friend to help ease the financial burden of funeral expenses, bills and necessities for the Clifford family.
“Chris was a man who nurtured his family with unwavering love and embraced God’s teachings with a deep faith,” according to the GoFundMe. “His life was a testament to the virtues of generosity, kindness and caring. His family is devastated by this tragic loss and have hope in knowing he is with his savior.”
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Grace Bible Church in Ann Arbor. Visitation is from 9-10:45 a.m. and the service is at 11:00 a.m
Investigations into the accident are still ongoing.
Contact Nour Rahal: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nrahal1.