Duane Clements

E. Duane Clements, 74 of Elgin, Il., passed awayon Tuesday, May 8, 2012 in Elgin. He was a trusted friend, neighbor & family man who had servedChicago-area manufacturers in the machine tool industry for more than 30 years.Duane was born in La Crosse, WI. on May 24, 1937 to Elmer andGladys (Engebretson) Clements. Growing up on farms in Wisconsin and Iowa gaveDuane an education in hard work and resourcefulness that he carried throughouthis life. Known as a person who knew how to fix anything, Duane became thego-to guy in his wide circle of family, friends and neighbors for any kind ofrepair, from plumbing to painting, and from automotive engines to the machinetools he spent his career maintaining and operating.A graduate of Central High School in La Crosse, Duane spent hisformative years enjoying the recreational pursuits his native Wisconsinoffered, including, hunting, fishing, and what would become his lifes passion,stock-car racing. He served in the Wisconsin National Guard and was working asan automotive mechanic in La Crosse when he married Joan (Sinrud) in 1962.Their only child, Paul, followed in 1964. Like most family men at that time,Duane often had to work two jobs, and it was his part-time job as a bartenderat Syls Place in Barre Mills, WI, that he would fondly look back on. Owned byhis aunt and uncle, staffed by his cousins and frequented by his friends andfamily members, here Duane built on the relationships that would last hislifetime.Job opportunities brought Duane to the Chicagoland area in 1973,and he settled his family in Elgin, IL because to him it seemed to mostresemble his native La Crosse in terms of opportunities and amenities. It wasduring this time Duane joined Chicago Machine Tool Company where he workeduntil his retirement in 2002 providing dedicated service to the company and itscustomers, most weeks working Monday through Saturday. Duane also served as adeacon during many of these years at St. Pauls United Church of Christ inElgin.In retirement, Duane never really retired, working part-time atMagnetic Radiation Laboratories manufacturing parts for military and otherapplications, while volunteering to serve the homeless through PADS and theElgin Soup Kitchen and delivering meals to elderly shut-ins viaMeals-on-Wheels.Diagnosed with cancer in July, 2011, Duane was forced to redirecthis energies to fighting this chronic disease that finally took his life. Duane was preceded in death by his parents,Elmer and Gladys, and is survived by his wife Joan, son Paul, daughter in-lawFelicite, granddaughter Veronica, sisters Patricia Russotto, Joan Oliva andJean Clements, seven nephews, four nieces, two aunts, Joyce Clements and EvelynWerner, an uncle Paul Anderson and numerous cousinsFuneral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, May 14,2012 at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home of La Crosse. Pastor Donald Iliff will officiate. Entombment will follow in the Garden Of PeaceMausoleum at Mormon Coulee Memorial Park in La Crosse. Friends may call at the funeral home onMonday from 10:00 A.M. until the time of services. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferredand will be used in Duanes memory