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Howard
Eugene “Gene” Clements,
lifelong resident of Burnet, passed away peacefully on
Feb. 20 with
loved ones by his side. Born Oct. 8, 1916 Gene was
preceded in death by
his parents Jake and
Eula Clements, three brothers, and first wife Mary
Alice.
He is survived by his loving wife of over 28 years, Kathryn
and family, Mary Gene
and Dale Wepfer of Omaha, Neb., Pam
Clements of Austin, sister Benita
Neve of Lampasas, Stephen
Baker of Austin, Byron
and Kyla Baker of Houston, Glenda
Baker of Houston, Curtis
and Lara Baker of Pflugerville, and Kevin
and Denise Baker of Houston; grandchildren: Stacy
and Terry Torneten
of Harlan, Iowa; Chris
and Shaela Wepfer of Omaha; Cheyenne
Baker and James
Ridge of Kyle; Lauren
Creeden of Fort
Worth; Cole Baker,
Beau and Terri Baker, Blake Baker and Roslyn Jones,
Colin Baker, and Cameron Baker, all of Austin;
Kaylea Baker and Kainoa
Kaaihili of Hawaii; Katie
Baker of Nacogdoches; Travis
Baker of Houston; and Justin
Baker of Biloxi, Miss. Gene’s love for family
continues to grow with great grandchildren Eric
Howard Torneten, Carly Torneten, Elizabeth Gene
Wepfer, Cody Creeden, Grace Creeden and Paige Baker,
along with many nieces and nephews.
Gene’s 94 years of life were filled with many
accomplishments. After
graduating from Burnet High School, Gene began working
at the
Northington funeral home. As our country became
embattled, Gene
demonstrated his love and commitment to his country by
enlisting in the
Army. As a World
War II veteran
Gene received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious
service during
combat operations. Throughout the years he maintained
friendships with
his Texas Fighting 36th Division.
Upon honorable discharge from the military, Gene’s
desire to serve
others and his community continued to grow. His
graduation from the
Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science in Dallas in 1946
began a notable
career of over 50 years as a funeral director. Gene
began working at
Northington Funeral home where he accomplished one of
his proudest
moments in 1949 when he purchased the funeral home and
named it
Clements Funeral Home of Burnet.
It was in 1970 when Gene decided to retire and sell his
business which
is now the Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home in Burnet. With
strong roots in
Burnet County, Gene’s retirement did not last long as he
then began
serving as a Burnet County Commissioner for over 12
years. Gene could
name every road in Burnet County and was proud to know
numerous
residents throughout the county. In addition to
his love for
helping others, Gene was a lifelong member and Elder of
Burnet
Presbyterian Church and a proud member of Valley Lodge #
175 A.F. &
A.M. for over 50 years, and Ben Hur Shrine in Austin.
Gene’s life can best be summarized by remembering each
life is a
miracle that changes the world and leaves it a better
place than it was
before. His contributions will carry on and will
always be
remembered by so many who shared in his life.
Visitation will be from 6- 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23 at
Clements/Wilcox
Funeral Home in Burnet. Services will be Thursday, Feb.
24, at 11 a.m.
at Clements/Wilcox Funeral Home with Reverend Susan
Liljestrand
officiating. Military honors and a Masonic burial
service will
follow at Post Mountain Cemetery.
The family would like to thank all the staff of the Oaks
Nursing
Center. The names of all the employees are too numerous
to list, as
each demonstrated their compassion and attention to
Gene’s comfort. All
their efforts will be forever remembered and greatly
appreciated. The
assistance of Texas Home Hospice, specifically Donna
Lauzon, Chris
Stover and Mary Miller is also very much appreciated.
The family has
asked that memorials in memory of Gene should be made to
Burnet
Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 126, Burnet, Texas, 78611
or to a charity
of your choice.
Those named as pallbearers were grandsons, Chris Wepfer,
Terry
Torneten, Beau Baker, Blake Baker, Cole Baker, Colin
Baker, Cameron
Baker, Travis Baker and Justin Baker. Honorary
pallbearers named were
Bobby Owens, O’Dean Hammett, Grady Hammett, and Jimmy
Clements.
Friends and family are invited to share thoughts and
memories with the family by visiting
www.clementswilcox.com.
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Gene Clements was a participant in Burnet County's
WWII Oral History
Project. His account of that period of time is
on file at the
Herman Brown Free Library.
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