Appellate court to honor Clifford H. Ahrens

24 September 2025

ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, will convene a special session of the court en banc in memory of the late Judge Clifford H. Ahrens at 11 a.m. Friday, October 3, 2025, at the Old Post Office, 815 Olive Street, in St. Louis. Ahrens served as a judge for the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, from 1991 until his retirement in 2015. He died May 22, 2024, in Hannibal, Missouri.

The Honorable Kathianne K. Crane, Matthew S. McBride, Douglas R. Bader, and Ann Ahrens Beck are the invited speakers. The Honorable Robert M. Clayton III will serve as master of ceremonies.

After graduating from Hannibal Public Schools, Judge Ahrens attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned his bachelor of science, cum laude, in public administration in 1967 and his law degree in 1969. He engaged in the private practice of law in Hannibal for 21 years. In February 1991, then-Governor John Ashcroft appointed Ahrens to the court of appeals. He was retained in office by Missouri voters in 1992 and 2004, and he served until his retirement in 2015. After his retirement, he continued to serve as a senior judge until 2022. 

During his tenure on the court, Ahrens was actively involved in statewide court automation efforts. He was active in the legal community, serving as a member of the Missouri Judicial Records Committee, the Tenth Judicial Circuit Bar Association, The Missouri Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and the American Bar Association. He volunteered for numerous civil organizations and boards, including the Hannibal Planning Commission, the board of directors for the Children’s Trust Fund of Missouri, the St. Louis City-St. Louis County board of electors, the YMCA, the Hannibal Evening Kiwanis Club, the United Way of Hannibal, the Hannibal Chamber of Commerce, the Hannibal High School Booster Club, and the Hannibal Amateur Radio Club.

Judge Ahrens is survived by his wife, Kimberly Ahrens and his three children: C. Todd Ahrens, Joseph Ahrens, and Ann Ahrens Beck. He also is survived by his nine grandchildren: Nathan, Annaliese, Ainsley, Chandler, Luke, Sorush, Samir, Lily, and Camden.

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Contact: Morgan Coleman, clerk of the court

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District

(314) 539-4300