Dr. Clifford A.L. Becker

Dr. Clifford A. L. Becker, age 83, of Eden Prairie, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at Flagstone Presbyterian Home in Eden Prairie. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Belle River with Fr. Dan Ruprecht officiating. Music is provided by pianist, Jane Herth and vocalist, Janice Doebber. Interment will take place at the church cemetery.

Visitation is one hour prior to the service.

Dr. Clifford A. L. Becker was born on July 4, 1941, to Andrew and Frances (Hainzl) Becker on the family farm near Miltona. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Nicholas Catholic Church. Clifford attended School District 64, Miltona Elementary School, and graduated from Central High School in Alexandria. He pursued higher education at St. Thomas University and the University of Minnesota, ultimately earning his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1968, he completed postdoctoral studies in Denmark. Over the following decades, Dr. Becker taught chemistry at nine universities in six different countries, including the United States, living and working in Iran, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Botswana. He was in Iran during the late 1970s and was evacuated during the revolution, initially landing in Athens before taking a teaching position at the American University of Beirut. He later spent twelve years in Bahrain and continued his career in Botswana, where he remained until his return to the United States in 2010.

Dr. Becker was an esteemed academic, lecturing at both undergraduate and graduate levels, conducting and supervising research, and publishing numerous papers in international chemistry journals. He achieved full professorship at two universities and served as the Head of the Department at one.

Beyond academia, Clifford was a lifelong explorer. He used every opportunity to travel, visiting Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, the Far East, and southern Africa—circling the globe three times. Bangkok and Santo Domingo were among his favorite destinations. In 2013, he authored "Conversations with a World Traveler", offering a glimpse into his vast experiences and perspectives.

A man of diverse interests, he had a deep passion for history, archaeology, entomology, and paleontology, amassing an impressive fossil collection, many of which he unearthed himself. But perhaps the most defining quality of Clifford was his generosity. Whether it was quietly helping those in need, opening his home to a university student, or gifting his house in the Dominican Republic to a family who had long cared for it, his kindness was unwavering.

Friends of Dr. Clifford would like to thank the staff of Flagstone Presbyterian Home and Park Nicollet Hospice for their kind and loving care.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Arlene in 2022; aunt and uncle, Leona and Merton Willette; along with many other aunts and uncles.

Clifford is survived by his two chosen sons, Foluso Williams Becker of Abuja, Nigeria and Baboloki Prince Ribbon of Gaborone, Botswana along with many loving friends.

Memorials preferred to Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.

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