Clement W. "Chops" Cuilik, 92, of Gulf Breeze, FL, passed away On Friday, September 8, 2023, with his loving family by his side. Clem was born on November 28, 1930, in Amsterdam, NY, to parents Clement Joseph Cuilik and Genevieve Wojtkiewicz.  He graduated from Amsterdam High School in 1948, where he was an outstanding student and star athlete on the football, basketball, baseball, and track teams.  He was voted Most Athletic Male by his senior class. After high school he worked in the carpet mills followed by enlistment in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 at the height of the Korean War. He trained as an airborne radio operator and deployed to Okinawa, Japan in 1952 where he completed 36 combat missions in B-29 bombers. In 1955 he married Patricia Salce of Amsterdam, NY and together they raised a family during service at various Air Force bases in California and Florida. During Clem's Air Force career he served on the staff of the Air Attache in Bangkok, Thailand, earned a bachelor of science degree from Florida State University and was stationed once again to Thailand where he completed 106 combat missions over Laos and Vietnam in 1969-70. After 23 years of active military service, he retired as a Senior Master Sergeant and joined the USAF Reserve. His military decorations include the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Following his military service, he relocated his family to Virginia where he worked as a Management Auditor at the General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C.  After 13 years of civil service, he retired from the federal government in 1986. He continued to work in private industry as a Program Manager for Pinnacle Resources International, a defense contractor supporting the Department of the Navy at the Navy Annex in Arlington, VA. At age 60 he finally retired to spend time on his favorite activities, golf, gardening and time with family at his home in Stafford, Virginia. In 2020 he and his wife relocated to Gulf Breeze, FL as residents of The Arbors assisted living community.

Clem is preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, Patricia Payne, of Duanesburg, NY. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Patricia, their four children, CAPT USN (Ret.) William P. Cuilik (Carla), of Gulf Breeze, FL; Sandra M. White, of Springfield, VA; Michael C. Cuilik (Valerie), of Leesburg, VA; and Andrea L. Craig (Mike), of Scranton, PA; eleven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and his sister, Carol M. Braun, of Amsterdam, NY.

Visitation will be 11:30am until a Funeral Service to begin at 12:30pm on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, Pensacola, FL.  Interment will follow at 2:00pm at Barrancas National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to 1.) Tunnel to Towers, Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306, 2.) Fisher House, 12300 Twinbrook Pkwy Ste. 410, Rockville, MD 20852 or 3.) Wreaths Across America, PO Box 249, Columbia Falls, ME 04623.