A family longevity record has been broken. At age 100, Clinton “Clint” “Clem” Lemmon passed away peacefully Monday morning, June 17, 2019, at Chehalis West Assisted Living in Chehalis, Wash. Having lived a healthy outdoor life, he was rarely sick and his death was no different.
Clint was born Jan. 14, 1919, in Porter, Wash., the youngest of seven children born to Ira Edwin Lemmon and Jessie Elinor McMaster. He grew up in Porter where his father ran a general store and was the Porter Post Master. In the 1920s, the family moved to Connie, Wash., where his family owned a farm. His late teens were spent in Malone, a timber company owned town in Western Washington.
While Clint attended aeronautical school, prior to joining the United States Navy, July 11, 1942, he batched with Al Green and George Thompson. He tells of being able to buy enough stew meat for a week for only 25 cents. As a Navy lieutenant, he piloted twin engine sub-hunters (PV-1 Venturas) during World War II. One of the special memories of his Navy service was being assigned to host a party for Eleanor Roosevelt.
Throughout his life, Clint was always the designated driver. Before he ever met his future wife, Jeanette Isadore Jones, he was introduced to aunt Mernie, who declared, “Clem, we’ve got to get you into this family." They did, because Clint and Jeanie married Aug. 19, 1946, in Glendale, Calif., and were married for 56 years before she passed away July 1, 2003.
Most of his career was spent in the aeronautical field, moving numerous times across country from Lockheed to Boeing, back to Lockheed and back again to Boeing, where he eventually retired at 62. At 65, he climbed Mount Rainier. He was an avid story teller and any time you visited him you were sure to hear at least a few stories from his memorable life.
If you drove down Highway 603 and ever wondered about the elderly man in the orange vest walking along the gravel, that was Clint. Once he moved to Chehalis West in 2015, you could find him walking the blocks close to the facility. Didn’t matter to him that he was legally blind or that it was raining, walking was a habit to him and it didn’t seem right to go through a day without his walk.
Clint was committed to his church most of his adult life. Church didn’t mean only Sunday to him, if there was a job to do, he was involved, from the core group starting up a congregation to being the contact person for the door alarms or taking the garbage to the dump. Nothing was too menial for him. He was a servant of God, elder and session member.
Clint was preceded in death by his parents; all of his siblings; wife, Jeanie; and a child, Roger, deceased in infancy.
He is survived by his children, Joy Johnston of Centralia, Wash., and Gary (Kathy) Lemmon of Coupeville, Wash.; two grandchildren, Tina (Dennis) West of Enumclaw, Wash., and Roger (Ashleigh) Lemmon of Seattle, Wash.; as well as numerous cousins, grandnieces, grandnephews and great-grandchildren.
Family suggests donations be given to the Salvation Army, 303 N. Gold St, Centralia, WA 98531, in Clinton’s name.
A celebration of life service will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, June 28, 2019, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 128, NW Prindle St., Chehalis, WA 98532.
"Say hi to mom for us.
You will be MISSED!"
