Clifford Harland Wildes

Clifford Harland Wildes, age 67, passed away suddenly on Saturday, September 2, at his home in Sarasota, Florida. Cliff was much loved by his wife, Carole, and step-daughter Kate (Kesselring), for the last 17 years of his life. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the late Harland H. Wildes and Mary L. Wildes, Cliff lived all over the country following his father's military career as a naval nuclear engineer. Moving frequently helped shape Cliff's adaptable and charismatic personality, which later contributed to his success in business dealings with people of all cultures. An exceptionally gifted trumpeter early in life, Cliff's mother would drive him around the Boston area to play taps at annual Veteran's Day events. While in high school, Cliff played with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, which performed for President Johnson at the commissioning of the USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. After high school, he played bass guitar in clubs in the Boston area, which led to his founding of Ritz Guitar and producing the band "Off White" out of Los Angeles. In 1985, following several years working in the computer component and peripheral industry, Cliff founded Microtech International, Inc., in Branford, Connecticut. The company later added offices in the United States, Europe, and Japan. After developing the first 800k floppy disk drive for the new MacIntosh computer, Microtech became a prominent force in the Mac market. That led to manufacturing contracts with Apple Computer and Steve Jobs's new company, NeXT, Inc. An avid baller and die-hard Boston Celtic fan throughout his life, Cliff became a sponsor of the LA Clippers in the 1990's, traveling with the team and forging friendships with many of the players. A true entrepreneur, Cliff moved on to founding numerous start-up companies in the microelectronics, computer hardware, and software industries. His CEO experience made him a sought-after consultant in technology and non-technology sectors all over the world. During the last 14 years, Cliff's career was focused on investment banking, most recently advising companies in Costa Rica and Denmark. Cliff is also survived by his sister, Janice Swanson, niece and nephews Jamie and Jared Swanson and Keegan Rosa, all of Lakeville, Massachusetts; son Sean Jacobs (Jenni) and grandson Kade Jacobs of Omaha, Nebraska; his in-laws Richard and Patricia Delp of Sarasota; his dear and long-time friends Tom Intelisano of New Haven, Connecticut; Karen Armstrong of Casey Key, Florida; and Skelly Miller of Southern California; and many other friends from all over the world. Though a humble and private person, Cliff mentored numerous professionals that credit him with changing the course of their careers, creating a legacy to the business world. While respected and admired by many business associates, his friends and family will most remember Cliff's kind, generous spirit and his playful sense of humor. Most recently, he worked from his home office with his loyal dogs Colby and Cheyenne at his feet, frequently delaying conference calls to meet their daily demands. In honor of Cliff's creative musical talent and appreciation of fine art, a Celebration of Life will be held at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, on Thursday, September 28, at 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Cliff to the Sarasota Youth Orchestra, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236 or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090-6929. A life well lived, he will be missed by all.

Tributes

Clifford Harland Wildes

September 2, 2017