Lieutenant Commander Clifford A. Hart, Sr., USN (Retired), 94, passed away in Williamsburg, Virginia, surrounded by family, on August 26, 2025, due to complications from a hip fracture.
“Cliff” was born in Washington, D.C., on August 4, 1931, to BC Hart, a native of Franklinton, and Adelaide Natalie Wilmarth Hart, of Yonkers, New York. Captain BC Hart, USN (Retired), was the son of Era-Leader editor Alice Bickham Hart and grandson of Thomas Dolphus Bickham.
Besides the District of Columbia, Cliff's father’s career took him to California, Washington State, and the Philippines during his early childhood. When the U.S. Navy evacuated families from the Philippines in anticipation of World War II, Cliff and his mother went to Franklinton, arriving on January 1, 1941. Following Pearl Harbor, Cliff’s father fought down the Bataan Peninsula and became a Prisoner of War on the fortress island of Corregidor when it fell to Japanese Imperial Forces in May 1942. Cliff grew up in Franklinton during his father’s captivity, and his mother served as the local representative of the International Red Cross. Known to his classmates as “Skip”, Cliff graduated from Franklinton High School in 1946 and for the rest of his life regarded Franklinton as his hometown.
After a year at Louisiana State University, Cliff followed his dream of joining the U.S. Navy, enlisting on his 17th Birthday in 1948. Cliff’s first duty station after basic training at San Diego was the U.S. Naval Submarine Base at New London, Connecticut, from which he was transferred to Key West, Florida, in May 1950, when his ship, the USS Petrel, was moved there. In Key West, Cliff met and married Janet Elizabeth Seeds, of Miami, and the Harts enjoyed a happy, loving 73-year marriage.
Later in the 1950s, Cliff served on ships and land duty in Virginia, Rhode Island, and Florida, making Chief Petty Officer in September 1959. Cliff soon thereafter learned he had been accepted for commissioning as a Naval Officer under the Limited Duty Officer (LDO) program.
After becoming an Ensign in 1960, Cliff ran the Combat Information Center aboard the Heavy Guided Missile Cruiser USS Canberra, serving during Canberra’s prominent role in the Cuban Missile Crisis. While aboard Canberra, Cliff transitioned from LDO to Unrestricted Line Officer, potentially setting him up for command at sea but competing against Naval Academy and ROTC graduates for assignments. In his next posting, aboard the Amphibious Command Ship USS Taconic, Cliff in late 1964 participated in Steel Pike, a massive exercise to reinforce NATO forces in wartime and then the largest amphibious operation since World War II. Cliff served in Vietnam 1967-1968, first as an advisor aboard a fire support ship on Mekong River combat tours, then coordinating the refit of South Vietnamese warships on Guam. On return to America, Cliff took command of a Landing Ship, Tank (LST), the USS Middlesex County. He completed the remainder of his Naval career at duty stations at the Little Creek Amphibious Base, retiring from the U.S. Navy in September 1974.
A Surface Warfare Officer, Cliff altogether spent years at sea and away from the family he loved. In one year, he was underway all but six weeks. Cliff nonetheless thrilled in the challenges of operating on the high seas, and he remained at heart a Sailor his entire life.
In his post-Navy years, Cliff pursued his lifelong interest in trains by operating the steam locomotives at the Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia, from 1975 to 1995. A voracious reader from age 3, he later volunteered at the Williamsburg Public Library.
Cliff and Janet had two children, Jeffrey Clifford Hart, a retired architectural draftsman and high school teacher living in Hampton, Virginia, and Clifford Awtrey Hart, Jr., a retired U.S. diplomat living in Singapore. Besides Janet and their sons, Cliff is survived by seven grandchildren (James, Sarah, Christa, Nathaniel, Janice, Alice, and Ellen); two step-grandchildren (Emma and Ben); four great grandchildren (Matthew, Cierra, Max, and Ava); and one great great grandchild (Scarlett). An eighth grandchild (Tracey) pre-deceased Cliff. An only child, Cliff was delighted to join Janet’s large extended family, and he remained in touch with its members until his final days.
Cliff will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the Hart Family asks family and friends to consider donating to the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society (https://www.nmcrs.org/). Please visit www.bucktroutfuneralhome.net to leave condolences for the family.
