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Clair Woodrow McKimmy, age 93, passed away on July 1, 2009 at his home in Elk Rapids, Michigan, after saying goodbye to his family, who remained by his side. He was born on November 19, 1915, in Blissfield, Michigan, to Royal & Eva (Stutzman) McKimmy. He married Helen Wells on December 24, 1936 in Wauseon, Ohio. He was an Electrician at Dow Chemical, retiring 35 years ago, as well as a farmer. He had a great love for his family and loved to travel. He also loved hunting, auction sales, and motors. He had lived in Gladwin County from 1942...
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Clair Woodrow McKimmy, age 93, passed away on July 1, 2009 at his home in Elk Rapids, Michigan, after saying goodbye to his family, who remained by his side. He was born on November 19, 1915, in Blissfield, Michigan, to Royal & Eva (Stutzman) McKimmy. He married Helen Wells on December 24, 1936 in Wauseon, Ohio. He was an Electrician at Dow Chemical, retiring 35 years ago, as well as a farmer. He had a great love for his family and loved to travel. He also loved hunting, auction sales, and motors. He had lived in Gladwin County from 1942 until 2004, when he moved to Elk Rapids, Michigan. He was a member of the Church of the Brethren in Beaverton, Michigan, where he served as a Deacon, as well as many other positions for many years. He is survived by his wife: Helen McKimmy of Elk Rapids, MI; son: James (LouAnn) McKimmy of Elk Rapids, MI; daughter: Barbara (John) Morgan of Elk Rapids, MI; son; Jerry (Anna) McKimmy of Elk Rapids, MI; 15 grandchildren: Karen (McKimmy) Grettenberger, Kathy (McKimmy) Keating, Paul McKimmy, Robert Grant, Steve Grant, Scott Grant, Jeff Grant, Mark Grant, Christopher McKimmy, Carmen McKimmy, Charles Thompson, Marjorie Patrick, Kristen Panaitescu, Holly Veselenak & Amanda Plunkett; many great grandchildren & 1 great great grandson; brother: Ralph (Jan) McKimmy of Arizona; sister-in-law; Hazel McKimmy of Ohio; sister-in-law: Bonnie Wells & a brother in law: Bernard Ellis of Michigan; Several nieces & nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents; sister: Velma Bushrow; brother: Harold McKimmy; sister: Donna Asch; brother-in-law: Vryl Asch. Funeral Services will be conducted on Friday, July 3, 2009 at 1:00 P.M. with visitation beginning at 10:00 A.M. at the Church of the Brethren in Beaverton, Michigan. Pastor Louis Grettenberger, husband of Karen (McKimmy) Grettenberger, will officiate. He will be laid to rest in Beaverton, Michigan, at Tobacco (Dale) Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Munson Hospice & the Beaverton Church of the Brethren. www.hall-kokotovichfuneralhome.com
Family, members of the Beaverton Church of the Brethren and Special Friends of Clair W. McKimmy and Clair McKimmy's family, I appreciate your sharing this special day fo rthe Clair McKimmy Family. Your community support of my Mother and Dad during my growing up years help make me the person I am today. I am reminded of the time that I was being discipline for misbehaving while traveling home from school on the school bus during a rainstrom. The bus driver stop the bus and ordered me off the bus as my punishment for the distraction my friend and I were causing. Soon after departing the bus and starting my six mile walk home, Dorothy McMahon stop and offered me a ride home. I eagerly hopped into her car and we were on our way. Dorothy began questioning me about why I had missed the bus and when I told her I was put off the bus as a punishment for distraction the driver, she immediately stop the car and said "you need to continue your walk home." By the time I arrived at home, my parents knew all about my predicament and agreed the punishment was apporiate.
I am the first to speak today because I am the biggest. I can pack more away that my and brother combined. I am really my Mother's last loved baby and also Jim would refer to me as the baby of the family because of my disposition.
I have no known intention of showing disrepect for any one here today or being offensive, however by using some anecdotes and puns I may be able to share some insights into our family and why my Dad was so important to me. If you don't respond to these short stories or play on words that is okay with me. I also often died not understand the significances of events that happen to me early in life, until some time later, such as a few minutes , hours, days or years later. Lessons learned early in life came back to support me later in life when the needs came.
I love my Dad and I am now a lot like him. He was a man of few words when it came to public speaking; however one on one he could talk about most any subject for hours, especially if everyone in the car was ready to go home. So if you are expecting an extended speech from me, you will need to talk to me in person. Jim is the one gifted with eloquent speech, either giving a sermon, a political speech or head of the Superintendent's Association of the State of Michigan or legislative body of the State of Michigan. I have many memories of my dad that would compile into an encyclopedic of information. I would need the help of my wife who has a college degree in English or seek the assistance of Lou Ann McKimmy or my cousin Bonnie Smith, who would take my notes and thoughts while I was at Manchester College and put them into a speech to wow a banquet room full of people (parent student banquet that I introduced my mother as the key speaker) or greatly impress my communications speech professor (Dr Keller) with the significant progress I had made from my broken English at the beginning of the semester to the final test speech given at the end of the term.
I learned to love my Lord Jesus Christ from the example my dad lived. He taught me many things, was disappointed when I failed to obey him or sin, forgave me when I would acknowledge my errors, helped me to restore the damage done and encouraged me to restart and continue on with my goals.
1. One time I was hauling the manure during the winter months and was traveling way to fast back to the barn and within the farm lane. I sled the tractor and wagon through the fence, knocking down several fence posts and ripping the barbed wire down. Dad saw it all, scolded me and then said. "well, I guess we mend fence this spring"
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3. On the wedding evening of Barb to Bob Grant, I was asked to use Barb's car and return home to pick up supplies that were needed at the Buckeye Township Hall. The curved driveway around the hall was surrounded by neighbor's cars. Because it was a dark night, I backed into the corner of the rear bumper of Elsie Schnepps car causing great damage to the side of Barbara's tresured Studebaker. I got out of the car and again because it was dark I could see no damage to Elsie's car and the side of Barbara's car seemed okay. Barb and Bob left for their honeymoon using Dad's new car as dad had planned for that in advance. The next morning when I woke up and went down for the breakfast mother was cooking; I looked out the window and saw extensive damage to the side of Barb's car. Dad said "what happended?" I explained my careless (WRECKLESS?) driving and he said. "Well we need to go over to Elsie's, examine her car for damage and offer an apology and fix the damages. Then we have a car to bump out and repair before Barb returns". Fortunately the angle that I struck Elsie' car rear bumper showed no damage other than a removable paint mark. Dad helped me remove the paint mark. Elsie forgave me. Barbs car was another story and required several days of work. All completed before Barb returned. Again, I had to apologize and ask Barb for forgiveness. She forgave me and later loaned me other cars from her when I needed transportation. I was fortunate to have a wise dad of many pratical skills.
4. When my marriage to Anne Wildermuth failed due to my immaturely handling the stresses of life, my dad was disappointed, forgave me and when the time was right encouraged me to seek out a Christian spouse. and love again. Thus Anna Lancaster became Anna McKimmy.
5. Thus, I learned from my Dad about God's unfailing love by example of how dad lived. He taught me by example and words. was disappointed when I failed or sinned, forgave me when I confessed my wrong doings, helped me to restore what was destroyed and encouraged me to continue on the road of life to the ultimate goals I desired to achieve. Dad had a heart of Gold that could pierce the most difficult of situations.
Dad raised a Pair-a-docs and a Mendor.
1. One son loved football and the other basketball. Barb supported both sports.
2. One was willing to serve in the military but was rejected because the Army said he could not withstand marching due to his foot condition even though he could go on to play college football. The other son after several college deferments was willing to serve God and County through Brethren Volunteer Service at Castaner Hospital, Castaner, Puerto Rico. Many of you also served in BVS. Dad supported us both with encouragement to do the best with what we had to work with.
One son loved to play golf and the other to fly into the wild blue yonder. Sure I could play the game and dig up the turf and Jim could fly, but he had a problem sliding off the end of the runway in the winter and bending the prop. Dad could play golf and loved to fily. He would tell us both to study and work on our skills to improve and get back in the game and try again. (I remember the time that Dad, Marjorie and I flew to Tennessee to purchase a used rust free car from outside the rust belt. Dad was so impressed by how we could fly through a weather FRONT with no visual earth contact and how the national aviation system knew where we were and how I knew where we were that he requested detail explanation of how the system worked. He was willing to learn from anyone who knew something he did not know. He could telll you today how it all worked if he were here. Dad lived a life time of learning. Dad knew that to stay in the fight for survival, you needed to keep sharpening yours skills as one who would sharpen a steel sword.
3. One son loved the color of green and received his PhD in education at Michigan State University (cow college). The other loved the color of blue and went to a real University-(The University of Michigan).
4. One son, who was born (RIGHT), stood firm as a capitalistic republican and the other slightly leaned toward being a democrat. Dad supported us and could talk (as he loved to do) on both sides of the issues.
Even though the Pair-a-docs had their difference, they would come together when the road of life became difficult and rocky. Thanks Jim for being there when I need you.
Barb was always there supporting us both. Ready to go on vacation with either of us to give us a break from our careers and stresses. She and mom are professionals at putting on a family dinner from The Church of the Brethren recipe book. We would gather around the table, hold hands and Mother, Dad or Jim would ask the Lord to bless the food so we could be of benefit for other and to keep the family united. Over our lifetimes we have seen many answers to prayer about our needs. From broken bones and homes, illnesses and other calamities of life. Thanks Barb and Mom and Dad and Jim for the unity you brought to the family and held us all together.
Yes, Dad was an honest man who fought for good and hated evil. A man=of symbolically two swords. One of steel representing a man's career in life to support his family and community and another sword of Gold representing his love for the family, friends and country. He began his career with Dow Chemical with a high school diploma and advanced his education by home study programs to advance to a position of an electrician with Dow such that he could rewire an electrical motor that requireed a crane to lift and then returned it to service. He could repair most any gasoline engine that was needed for car of tractor. He died all of this while yielding his gold sword of love, discipline, forgiveness, encouragement and stepping in to help us restore damages that we had created.
Yes Dad showed me by his example of life to keep my eye on the Lord Jesus Christ. He was raised in this Church of the Brethren, saw to it that his children learned the teachings of the Church of the Brethren and insisted on returning here as he said goodbye to his time on this earth and to go to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. Absent from the body, Dad is present with the Lord.
This was written because I love my dad.
Jerry McKimmy 7/1/2009 |
