HAMPSTEAD — Clifton “Cliff” Krell Vogelsberg, Jr., 79, of Hampstead, N.C., passed away peacefully due to complications from dementia on January 10, 2026.
Born on April 24, 1946, in New Rochelle, New York, he grew up in Massapequa Park, New York, as the oldest of eight brothers. He met Maureen Cody at a high school dance, and they got married on June 8, 1968, after his graduation from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Cliff would spend the next 20 years as a pilot in the Coast Guard, primarily flying Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard helicopters and Lockheed HC-130H Hercules airplanes, and would remain in the aeronautics industry as a pilot, engineer, and consultant for decades afterward.
Cliff and Maureen were blessed with three sons–Cliff, Scott, and Dan–and their travels would lead them to live in Connecticut, Maine, Florida (twice), Illinois (twice), New Jersey (twice), Indiana, North Carolina (three times), Alaska, California (twice), and New Hampshire. Cliff would earn a postgraduate degree from the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue University during their stay in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Along the way, Cliff instilled in his sons a deep appreciation for learning, self-reliance, and a personal moral code. His passion for the ocean and nature manifested in a never-ending series of road trips, sailing voyages, and outdoor adventures (which carried varying degrees of risk, as evidenced by the informal boys’ mantra of “Don’t tell your mother we did this”).
After Maureen passed away in 2012, Cliff would go on to marry Thora Maples Maready and live happily in Hampstead, North Carolina. His family remembers him as a consistent presence at youth sporting events, as both coach and fan; a constant tinkerer, spending hours in his garage repairing and constructing cars, boats, motorcycles, and equipment of all kinds; and a committed runner, entering a number of triathlons and road races.
Throughout his life, Cliff was guided and sustained by his faith as a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He led a life of service–to his family, his church, and his country–and whether you called him Dad, Pops, Grandpa, Son, Brother, Uncle, Cliff, Clifton, Cliffie, CK, Commander, Lefty, Coach, or Elder, he quickly found a way to ingrain himself into the hearts of all he encountered.
Cliff is survived by his wife Thora Maples Vogelsberg; sons Cliff, Scott, and Dan Vogelsberg; stepchildren Jennifer Revelas, Jeremy Maready, Josh Maready, Marc Maready, and Taylor Maready; daughters-in-law Holly Bang Vogelsberg, Kristin Baugh Vogelsberg, Jenny Newald Vogelsberg, Nicole McMillan Maready, Kristen Winn Maready, and Amber (Ling) Maready; grandchildren Carson, Maslan, Jake, Lola, and Finn; step-grandchildren Lily, Brandon, Wade, Leah, Finn, June, Sunny, Indy, Nova, Vai, Tola, and Omi; and brothers Chris, Gary, Rob, Eric, Mark, and Jim Vogelsberg.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Clifton Krell Vogelsberg and Gertrude McIntosh Vogelsberg; his brother Carl; and his wife Maureen Cody Vogelsberg.
