Jane Clover

Jane Catherine Wyant Clover was a lover of life. She was constantly excited about trying new things and exploring new places. In her younger years, Jane rock climbed, canoed, skied, rode horses and was always looking forward to the next card game, no matter what it was. She was especially fond of poker. On October 26, 1927, Ira Wyant and Emma Browne welcomed a another baby girl into their home. Jane was the middle child, totaling eight siblings in all. Four brothers: Mike, Ira, Greg and Bruce; and four sisters: Jodie, Emma Jean, Jane and Suzanne. The North Muskegon household was always full of energy and joy and many family dogs. Janes father was one of the founders of Campbell, Wyant and Cannon Foundry in Muskegon, one of the largest gray-iron foundries in the world. Emma, Janes mother, cared for the eight children and the extended four-legged family. Growing up on Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, Jane came to love animals, nature and the water. She spent a great deal of time on the beach, hiking up the dunes in the summer and tobogganing down in the winter. In the summer, she and friends spent time at the family cabin on the Pere Marquette River where they canoed, fished and played cards. Jane was warm and sociable, which brought many friends into her life. Many of the friends she made as a young girl stayed close with her for the rest of her life. One neighbor friend in particular was a boy whose father operated a separate, successful foundry in the Muskegon area. His name was Charles Clover. After she graduated from high school, Jane moved to Boulder, Colorado and attended the University of Colorado. There she became interested in rock climbing and skiing. One of her early winter trips was to Sun Valley, Idaho for more skiing opportunities. Just a year after they were married in 1951, the couple gave birth to their first daughter, Catherine. In 1953, Lieschen, joined the Clover clan. A few years later, in 1957, Charles Wyant was born, followed the next year by Harvey Bruce. The family home, full of love and fun included numerous dogs, birds, geese, fish, rabbits, iguanas, and hamsters. Jane was a creative cook, and her family ate well! She loved to bake everything from breads to sweets. Gourmet Magazine arrived monthly and inspired her to try new recipes from around the world with her family and friends. Her breads and homemade pizzas went easily unmatched. Menus also revolved around the seasonal produce available from her favorite vendors at the Muskegon Farmers Market. She passed on her adventurous culinary interest and collection of cooking gadgets to her children and grandchildren who all love to cook. Early on, the family vacationed along with other families on the beautiful shores of Beaver Island. It was a place where life was slow and the kids could run wild. The days were spent beach combing and swimming. Evenings were spent at the local saloonkids included. They took other family vacations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and explored copper mines, picked wild blueberries, and spent hours hunting for agates. Back home, Sunday breakfasts at the beach always included the worlds best scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. While the charcoal briquettes reddened, they sipped on mean Bloody Marys to start the traditional Sunday at the beach. Later on, they would picnic with family and friends at Bay Mills (now known as Snug Harbor) on any beautiful spring, summer or fall evening when the weather was good. When Charles retired from the Yankee Peddler, they became avid world travelers. They visited Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, China, Russia, Africa, and Greece. They frequently escaped to Costa Rica, and to San Andreas Island in the Caribbean during the Michigan winters. Casually sipping on rum drinks in the sun was time well spent after a day of site seeing and shopping. When Jane became a grandma, she approached it full on, like everything else in her life. The grandchildren would visit Camp Grandma during the summers where they were sure to spend plenty of time at the pool, playing cards and learning to cook and make bread and pastries. Along with the love she had for her family and friends, she also had a soft spot in her heart for all animals. She usually had several dogs at a time, not able to turn away a puppy-face. Another passion was feeding the birds. Hardship came when Charles was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. Jane was as fiercely loyal and loving as ever, and cared for him until his death in 2008. Losing her greatest companion was one of the most difficult things shed ever faced but she relied on her friends and family and got through. Jane died on the evening of Monday, July 25, 2011. She was preceeded in death by her husband, Charles Clover. Janes family includes: Her children, Kate; Lieschen, Wyant, and Harvey; her grandchildren Tyler, Nick, Sarah, Nicki, Alexie, and Colin; her great granddaughter Emery; her dog, Sophie; and her siblings Jodie Franche and Bruce Wyant. Friends may spend time with Janes family on Thursday from 3-5 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon Location- Muskegon, MI. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 29, 2011, 10:00 AM at St. Jean Baptist Catholic Church with Fr. Matthew Barnum officiating. Please visit Janes personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or make a memorial donation to the Noah Project of Muskegon.