Isadore F. Clements

Isadore "Ike" F. Clements, 93, of rural Coon Valley, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at Hillview Health Care Center in La Crosse.

He was born in La Crosse, Wis., on December 9, 1925, to Edward and Martha (Kneifl) Clements and was raised on Meadow Brook farm in Bohemian Valley near Coon Valley. He went to Meadow Brook School until the 6 ^th grade, then attended St. Peter’s school on Middle Ridge until he graduated from 8 ^th grade. He worked with his parents and siblings on the farm until he entered the Navy on March 31, 1944, and served in the Seabees.  He was stationed in Camp Endicott, Rhode Island, then sailed to Camp Parks, California before sailing to Barbers Point in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also was stationed in Sasebo, Japan for 6 months before being honorably discharged on May 18, 1946. He returned to the United States and worked at the Feed Mill in Coon Valley before starting work at the Trane Company in La Crosse. He was a member of Lodge 21, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers. He worked at Trane Company for 39 years, retiring on December 14, 1987.

On May 18,1954, Ike was united in marriage to Alvina D. Breidel and together they had two children, Kenneth and Karen. Ike was a faithful member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on St. Joseph’s Ridge.

After Ike retired, he loved to do wood working. He had his own wood working shop and made many birdhouses, birdfeeders and paper towel holders. Ike took every opportunity to help others as is evident in the many organizations he was a member of. He was a member of the American Legion Post 40 of Bangor and Past commander. He was a proud member for 59 years. He was a charter member of St. Joseph’s Ridge Lions Club and a charter member of the of the Coon Valley Conservation Club.

Ike and Alvina liked to take bus trips with their friends and saw most of the country that way. Ike thoroughly enjoyed taking a trip to Switzerland with his son, Ken. He was especially proud to take the first Freedom Honor Flight to Washington DC in 2008 with his daughter, Karen, to see all the monuments in his honor.

Ike is survived by his son, Kenneth, and his friend, Joyce Short, of Grants Pass, Ore; his daughter, Karen, and her husband, Bruce Nordstrom, of La Crosse; step-grandchildren, Todd and Florencia and children of Honolulu, Hawaii., and Ryan and his friend, Marin, of Durango, Colo. He is also survived by his sister, Geraldine Fritsch of Houston, Texas; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Adeline Clements of St. Joseph Ridge, Joan Clements of La Crosse, Rita and Jim Hesselberg, Rhea and Donald Breidel, Paula and Tom Breidel, and Mary and Rick Meyer, all of La Crosse, Mary and Eugene Breidel of Racine, Wis., Kathy and Don Weber of Lakeland, Fla., and Dennis Labus of West Salem; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Alvina, on August 11, 2018; his parents; his siblings, Ralph, Arnold, Edward, Victor and his wife, Adeline, Elaine and her husband, Syd Matthes, and Mary and her husband, Harold Mashak; brother-in-law, David Fritsch; and daughter-in-law, Donna Clements.

The family would like to extend special thanks to the nursing staff at Hillview Healthcare Center for the kind and loving care they provided to Ike, and also to Father Brian Konopa from Mary Mother of the Church Parish for bringing Holy Communion to Dad, and to all of the family and friends who came to visit; he looked forward to your visits. Special thank you to his nephew, Roger.

Dad, you instilled in us to be kind, thoughtful, humble and to have a good work ethic. You will be missed by many people. We know you are in heaven with Mom. Till we meet again, know that you were forever loved and the world is a better place because of you.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, May 31 ^st , at St. Joseph’s Ridge Catholic Church, W2601 State Hwy. 33, La Crosse.  Rev. Timothy Welles will serve as Celebrant and Msgr. Robert Hundt will serve as Homilist.  Burial, with military honors, will follow in the church cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass on Friday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the Coon Valley Conservation Club; Bangor American Legion or the St. Joseph’s Ridge Lions Club.