Clifford Dane, a Southern Baptist missionary emeritus who served in Belize and Brazil, died Jan. 7. He was 86. Dane was born July 1, 1938, in Weatherford to Henry and Ruth Dane. He came to faith in Christ as a child and was active in church life alongside his parents and siblings. During his 11th-grade year, he surrendered his life to special service for God, and the following year he surrendered to preach and began preaching at various church services. During his last year of high school, he met Peggy Delano. They were married Aug. 16, 1959. Over the next several years, Dane served as a pastor, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayland Baptist University and taught fourth grade. Feeling led by God to foreign missions service, the Danes moved to Fort Worth, where he earned a Master of Religious Education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1972, the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board—now the International Mission Board—appointed the Danes as missionaries to Brazil. He established a school of religious education, planted churches and opened a recreational learning camp. Dane earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Caribbean College of the Bible International in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago, and taught courses in theology, archeology and religious education at Baptist Theological Seminary in North Brazil. The Danes later served in Belize, where he worked to strengthen churches, hosted volunteers from the U.S. and continued planting churches. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Peggy Dane; children Brent Dane, Troy Dane, and Gwenann Sprecher; eight grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to the Lottie Moon Offering, IMB, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at Generosity Resource Center – IMB Generosity.
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