Clifford Howard Bedell was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 5, 1930, to the late Frank and Myrtle Bedell. He graduated from Jamaica High School on Long Island. He attended Providence Bible Institute from 1949-1951 (a three-year program) and there he met his wife, Prudence. The Lord instilled in both of them a heart for missions, in particular, for the Philippines. He then attended Wheaton College and received a B.A. in New Testament with Honors.
Cliff and Prue left for the Philippines in 1956 to serve as missionaries under the Far Eastern Gospel Crusade, now called SEND International. In the first six months they attended language school and then served in rural evangelism for seven years. During the rest of their years, Cliff taught at the Asian Theological Seminary and FEBIAS (Far Eastern Bible Institute and Seminary). While on furlough in 1972-1973, Cliff attended Wheaton College Graduate School and earned a 1v1.A. in New Testament. It was during this furlough that the Lord called Cliff to teach at Columbia Bible College in Columbia, SC, later named Columbia International University (CIU). He started teaching there in August of 1973. He taught New Testament, Cultural Anthropology, and his well-known Romans class. During his sabbatical he earned a M.A. degree at the University of Georgia in Anthropology.
Cliff lightened his teaching load in 1995 and again in 1997, always maintaining his Romans class. His full retirement from CIU began on June 30, 2009. He taught Romans almost every year for over 40 years, saying there was always something more to learn.
In his retirement he enjoyed running, reading, (he always had a book and his Bible with him) and being with Prue. He always loved to quote Proverbs 1:4, “He gives prudence to the simple.” Cliff and Prue celebrated 64 years of marriage together.
Mr. Bedell died on February 24, 2016.