SMSgt Clerfe Sonnier, 88, of Milton, passed away Monday, May 1, 2017. He was born January 7, 1929, in Milton, Louisiana, and raised in Kaplan, Louisiana, in the loving Marceaux family. He joined the US Navy at 17 and was later stationed at Whiting Field, where he met and married Imogene McLean of Milton. He left the Navy but joined the US Air Force and served the nation for 23 years until retirement, returning to Milton in 1969. He then joined the US Postal Service and served in the Milton Post Office as a clerk until retirement. He often stated that God had blessed him to be embraced by the Marceaux and McLean families. He loved the Milton community and donated property to Santa Rosa County that became the Sonnier Education Center in Milton. His story is an impressive and proud example of the American Dream: a humble boy that successfully built himself up through hard work, that loved and served his God, his Country and his family. His is a life well lived as demonstrated by the great love and respect of his family and his vast number of friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Delma Marceaux; mother, Beatrice Mellett; his brother, Jesse Marceaux; his wife, Imogene Mclean Sonnier; and his grandson, Aaron McLean Jernigan. He is survived by his wife, Mariagioia Franco Sonnier; his sisters, Marlene Marceaux Mullin and Betty Marceaux Gaspard; his daughter, Brenda Sonnier; his son, Michael Sonnier; and his granddaughter, Claire Sonnier. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 9, 2017, at Lewis Funeral Home, Milton Chapel. Burial will follow services in Serenity Gardens Cemetery with Lewis Funeral Home directing. Visitation will be held 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., prior to the service. The Family wishes to thank the staff of Watermark Assisted Living of Gulf Breeze and Emerald Coast Hospice for the love, care, and kindness given to our loved one during his lengthy illness.