If you’d ask different people who Jim Clements was, they’d probably all give you a different story. They might call him Mr. Fix-It. A guy who could sleep anywhere. The guy with the camera. The very tall man. The strong, silent type of guy with a sharp sense of humor.
Jim was all of those things, but he was also much more to many people. Everyone knew that if you had a problem, he could probably help you find a solution. If you needed a battery, he’d bring you 5 different kinds, even though he couldn’t promise one actually worked. If your lawn mower wasn’t running, he’d make the engine purr better than it did the day you bought it. If you needed your chainsaw sharpened, when he was done with it, it would slice through a tree like butter. If you gave him an old snowmobile that hadn’t worked for 10 years, he’d fix it up and use it for another 5 seasons. He never thought he was smart, but he sure could make things work.
James Arnold Clements of Whittemore, MI passed away on January 30, 2022 at the age of 85. After several weeks of declining health, hospice brought Jim home and he died peacefully with his beloved wife Ruth and family by his side.
Jim was born to Laurence Edward “Walt” and Gertrude Mae “Gertie” (Bessey) Clements on December 9, 1936 at his grandparent’s home in Detroit, MI. The second oldest of ten siblings, he attended Tawas City schools and was struck with polio around the 3rd grade. Polio inflicted his left leg causing it to bend oddly and curl his foot. He spent one summer in a Pontiac hospital getting heat treatments as an attempted cure. These efforts continued with three surgeries in Traverse City over the next three summers, ending by his 7th grade year. He had to get new shoes made every year to help balance his feet and to walk. While polio made getting around difficult and painful at times, he never let it slow him down.
After graduating from Tawas Area High School in 1954, Jim went to the Ferris Institute where he attended a state-funded Radio and Television Repair program in a Quonset hut for people with disabilities. He began his career repairing televisions in Grand Rapids before moving to Hale to work at Johnson Electric. He later began working in the shop at Hale Hardware where he retired after more than 38 years of service.
When Jim moved to Hale, he volunteered with the fire department doing odd jobs. One day, while fighting a fire, he was left behind when the department moved to another location. He began walking down M-65 on the way back to town when Hilda Barnes stopped to offer him a ride. Little did either one know, they would soon become family.
On November 2, 1957, Jim married the love of his life, Ruth Joanne Barnes, daughter of the amazing woman who gave him a ride to town. Together, with the help of family and friends, they built a house on Old State Road and raised three boys. While they never had a lot of money, they lacked for nothing. Jim’s keen knack for fixing things meant that they had everything they could ever want.
When it was time to retire, Jim got involved in his church. He served as an elder, congregational secretary, a chairman of the men’s club, and a leader of the paper recycling program. He also took it upon himself to start documenting church events by taking photos and recording video. He even played the handbells and sang in the choir on occasion.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings Laurence Andrew Clements, Marvin Edward Clements, Harold Eugene Clements, and Connie Jane Clements Brown. He is survived by his wife Ruth Joanne Barnes Clements; children Jeff (LeAnn) Clements, Jay Clements, and James (Brigette) Clements, II; grandchildren, Lelani (Robert Mendenhall) Clements and Andrew (Hailey) Clements; four great-grandchildren; and siblings Patricia Ann Clements Davis, Susan Mae Clements Davidson, Jeryl Grant Clements, Walter Samuel Clements, and Robert Michael Clements.
Following his wishes, Jim was cremated. A memorial service to celebrate his life was held February 2, 2022 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hale.
People wishing to honor Jim’s lifelong commitment to his family and friends, as well as his church and community, can make memorial donations to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 407 S. Washington St, Hale, MI 48739. Additional donations could be made to Hospice Angels Foundation (www.HospiceAngels.org)/Compassus Living Foundation (www.CompassusLivingFoundation.org) at 503 N. Euclid Ave., Suite 9E, Bay City, MI 48706
