William John "Jack" Clement, Sr.

William "Jack" Clement was a man of honor and integrity. The transcript of his 90 years is a long and winding one, full of character, spirit and life. But it is the moments between the lines that defined Jack the most, moments serving his country, his community and his family. Born right in the middle of the "Roaring Twenties", Jack arrived on July 28, 1925. His parents, William and Agnes (Dumigan) Clement of Muskegon, already the parents of a daughter, Agnes - daughter Catherine had died years before as a toddler - were delighted with the birth of their first son. Jack soon became big brother to Roland "Ron", and his mother had her hands full caring for their home and the children. Bill supported his growing family as a lineman for Consumers Power. Jack had a very vivid memory of the day his father was electrocuted on the job. Having been taken to the morgue by coworkers, Bill was surprised to find himself lying naked on a slab, covered by a sheet. But that was nothing compared to the surprise of his grieving family and friends when he walked through the front door, wrapped in the sheet. Jack also remembered the day his father came home with an old piano, after having wheeled it up and down the Getty Street hills to get it home. At the age of 14, Jack began working at Damm's Hardware in downtown Muskegon. While working one day, he cut the tendon on his pinky finger, causing it to stick out at a right angle. Although a doctor later in Jack's life said he could fix it, Jack declined. He had gotten used to it - even though it caused quite a stir in family photos - given that his finger was ever present across the shutter! Jack's father, who had been born in England and immigrated to Canada before settling in Muskegon, decided to move the family back to Canada. Now 16, Jack refused to leave Muskegon, quit high school, lied about his age and joined the Navy. Graduating in January 1943 from the U.S. Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, the young sailor soon found himself assigned to the USS Morrison, bound for the Pacific theater. Aboard the Morrison, Jack and his shipmates saw many battles before the ship was sunk by Japanese kamikazes in May 1945. Now a First Class Gunnersmate, with one of the few remaining working guns, Jack refused to leave the ship. However, when his commander came floating by in a lifeboat and ordered him to stand down, Jack obeyed. However, the ship sank so quickly that most men below decks were lost, a total of 152. For the next 14 hours, Jack and the other survivors floated on the ocean, dodging sharks by taking cover in the oil slicks. Like many crews and companies from World War II, the crew of the Morrison held annual reunions. When Jack had returned home, he suffered nightmares of the terrible events he had lived through. If not for the insistence of his wife, who thought the get-togethers were good for him, Jack would not have attended these reunions. In later years, Jack did share some of the stories with his children, but this did not happen very often. It is difficult to talk about painful memories. When Jack told of removing a life preserver from a dead friend and crewmate to save himself, they understood why. For his bravery during battle, Jack was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Now discharged from the Navy, Jack found himself in New York City. Along with the sights and sounds of the "Big Apple" came a beautiful little Italian woman named Katherine Rose Scaramuzzini. A true city girl, Katherine was used to the finer things in life. With her tiny svelte figure, she could wear the clothes right off the mannequins at Bergdorf Goodman's. Jack knew immediately that this was the love of his life and they were married on February 23, 1946 in Staten Island, NY. But like the popular TV show, Green Acres, theirs was a relationship of opposites. Before they were married, Jack had only two "demands" - they would not attend the Catholic Church and they would live in Muskegon. It was this second item that caused Katie some dismay. The young bride shed many tears when she got to Muskegon. Dirt roads and livestock were not things seen on the fashionable streets of New York and getting chased by a cow did not help matters. But like all loving relationships, life got better and better. Jack returned to the hardware store of his youth, but couldn't make enough to support them both. The store did, however, fill a truck with household items to help the newly weds get started. Jack then took a job with Continental Motors as a field inspector. The job involved a great deal of travel, something Katie loved. She went along as Jack's "secretary", enjoying all that each trip had to offer. But this blissful time was short-lived. When the Korean Conflict erupted, Jack was called up as part of the Naval Reserves, serving in Japan. After the war, Jack and Katie finally settled in North Muskegon, renting an upstairs apartment from their " Michigan parents", Guy and Elsie Hancock. Guy was the chief of police in North Muskegon. Told they would never be able to have children, Jack and Katie spent the next nine years enjoying life as a twosome. Then, to their surprise, William John Jr. - a son they called John - was born. A year later they welcomed daughter Patty and when son Jack was born in 1960, the couple knew they were truly blessed. That same year they bought their own home on Mills. One night, in January of 1963, the family cat sat perched on the fireplace mantle, meowing and meowing. No amount of coaxing could get the cat down. Around 4:30 the next morning, some boys on their way to go ice fishing noticed flames coming from the home. They rushed in and pulled the children out of the house, still wrapped in the bedclothes. By this time Jack and Katie were awake and escaped out the back bedroom. The house was almost a total loss, but homes can be rebuilt. Families cannot, and thankfully everyone had made it to safety. Son John remembers standing on 6 inches of ice - in the living room - and seeing the sky where the ceiling used to be. The house was rebuilt, with the charred wood in the attic - and the smell on a hot, summer day - as reminders of what had happened. The fire gave Jack a new direction in life and he became a volunteer fireman and a certified EMT. He went on to become the Captain of the North Muskegon Squad, a position he held for 14 years until a mild stroke in 1977 forced him to give up his duties. With his children, Jack became very involved in scouting. As they grew, Jack served as a pack and then a troop leader, taking the kids on camping trips. Jack and the kids loved these trips - but Katie rarely did. Try as she might, she never learned to enjoy Michigan 's outdoor life. When grandchildren came along, Jack continued to share his love of the outdoors, pointing out all the beauty of nature and teaching them to enjoy the simpler things in life. Jack had gone from Continental Motors to the S.D. Warren Paper Company, where he worked as a supervisor in the maintenance department, before retiring in 1990. With children grown, and no job responsibilities, Jack and Katie were now free to play golf - which they both loved - and take trips back to New York to visit Katie's family. A frequent stop along the way was beautiful Niagara Falls, where Jack and Katie were on a first name basis with the owners of the Falls Way Motel, where their room was always ready and waiting. Jack had been dealing with diabetes and had suffered a stroke when his blood sugar got so high that while he was in the hospital, doctors would stop in to see the man who "should have been dead." Jack became very disciplined in controlling his diabetes and for well over a decade, had kept a daily log of his sugar level and blood pressure. He had even taken notes on the day he died. In 2004, after a long remission, Katie's cancer came back with a vengeance. Katie chose to spend what time she had left in the loving company of her family, rather than in the hospital undergoing more chemo. Jack devoted himself to her care and had a hospital bed put in the living room. Jack slept every night in a chair by her bed, in "general quarters" - which meant he was battle ready. Katie lost her courageous battle in May of 2005. Now on his own, Jack spent his time fishing and being outdoors. His daughter Pat and her husband Mike took Jack on a trip to the Barothy Lodge in Walhalla. This was a luxurious resort, but Katie had always refused to go because the lodging was listed as "cabins"! They had a wonderful time and afterwards Jack would often stop by to see if Pat and Mike wanted to go fishing. Pat remembers - "I made it a point to drop what I was doing and go with him. There would always be time to run the vacuum later." When not intending to go fishing, Jack would stop in for a cup of coffee and to play with his beloved friend "Duke", the Great Dane. Jack lived a full life and his death came as a great surprise. Just last Saturday he had attended his granddaughter Angie's wedding and gone fishing on Monday. When his son Jack found him, Jack's dinner was made and the table set, with plans to go golfing the following Monday - no surprises there - that was Jack - prepared for the present and hopeful for the future. Mr. William "Jack" J. Clement Sr., age 80, died Thursday, July 6, 2006. His family includes his children: sons William John Clement of Ludington, Jack Alan Clement of Muskegon, daughter Patricia (Michael) Kelley of N. Muskegon; 4 grandchildren, Angela(Tim) McPheron, Robert Alan Dean, Amy Beth Dean, and Thomas James Dean. Jack was preceded in death by his wife Katherine in May 2005, sisters, Agnes Brustad, Catherine Clement and brother, Roland "Ron" Clement. Services will be Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 1:00 PM at Clock Chapel-Muskegon with Rev. Everett Klein officiating. Interment will take place at Laketon Township Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family on Tuesday, 12-1 PM at Clock Funeral Home - Muskegon prior to the service. Please visit Jack's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory, sign the online guest book or make a memorial contribution. Memorials may be made to Paralyzed Veteran's.