Clarence, 96, died on February 24, 2019. He was born in Lustre, Montana, on September 1, 1922 and, typical of many farm families of that time, completed his formal education at the 8th grade and then went to work on the family farm. He was a member of the Mennonite Church.

Clarence was the oldest of six children on the farm that was 25 miles from the nearest town. "When I was born, we lived in a building that served both as a barn and home with a single wall separating the areas."

Clarence was drafted into Civilian Public Service in 1943 and jumped at Missoula during the 1945 season making seven training and six fire jumps.

In notes from CPS reunions, Clarence lists his job after the war as working for the BLM in Anchorage, Alaska, as an equipment maintenance mechanic for the Anchorage District Fire Control. He also notes two tours to Nigeria as an equipment specialist for Aid for International Development.
He called it "the experience I cherished more than anything else in my life" the four years building reservoirs for Nigerian farmers with USAID.