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Cletus Edward Emmendorfer
Born: 1/5/1931
Died: 5/20/2023
Age: 92
Community: Grand Blanc, MI
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?Clete grew up on a farm in New Lothrop and was the 9th child in a family of 13. Growing up on a farm influenced his entire life. He always had a vegetable garden with bumper crop and anyone who was lucky enough to know him benefited, especially his family.?He was also a good cook. He specialized in bean soup, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, homemade bread, pies and cookies. He also enjoyed making homemade wine. His blueberry wine was a favorite of everybodies!
Clete served 2 years in the service as a Marine where he attended mechanic school in Fort Benning, Georgia. Being one of the top students from mechanic school, he was then sent to tank building school in Fort Knox, Kentucky. After completing his training, he was stationed at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina
After leaving the service, Clete married Joanne Duby in October of 1955. Together they had 5 children.?He was a devoted husband, father, and family man. In his later years, he loved it when his adult grandchildren and their spouses came to visit.
Clete and Joanne were long-time members of Holy Family Church. They volunteered for bingo and church garage sales (where he cooked hot dogs), attended 55 & Up lunches, and he was a member of the Knights of Columbus where he helped with pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners. He also volunteered by using his carpentry skills to build whatever was needed. When the church was being remodeled, he built a temporary altar for the hall. If the teachers needed something for their classrooms, they knew who to call. He was a very generous man, always wanting to donate and help out wherever he could whether it was for the church or for family and friends.
He loved feeding deer and squirrels. It was always a thrill for him to see deer in his backyard and the squirrels were regulars at his patio door.?
He enjoyed the outdoors and traveling. One of his road trips included a month-long trip to Alaska. Not only did he love to travel himself, but he would get very excited and showed a lot of interest in a family member’s travel plans. He would always have a lot of good advice to offer. He also enjoyed several fishing trips to Pasha Lake in Canada.?He was an avid hunter and had a goal of hunting until the age of 90 but ended up stopping at the age of 87.
In their retirement years, Clete and Joanne enjoyed spending winters at their place in Zephyrhills, Florida. When his beloved wife passed away in 2004, he found a companion, Lois Wolgast and they continued to enjoy winters in Florida.?
In his later years, he enjoyed accompanying his family for yearly summer trips to the Les Cheneaux area in the U.P. He would sit on the porch of his cabin overlooking the lake and give a detailed report of the fishermen that came in from their boats with their daily catches.
Clete loved life and he lived until he died!
Clete leaves behind to cherish his memory his Children
Leann (Mike) Phillips, Karen Birdsley (Timothy Look), Brenda (Chris) Dinsmore and Jerry Birchmeier son-in-law; grandchildren Breanna Dinsmore, Stacy ( Dustin) McDaniel, Christina (Jessie) Burton, Katie (Cam) Brackins, Alex, Andrew,and Mitchell Birchmeier, Vickie, Bob and Sherry Phillips; siblings Aggie Bofil, Betty Toma and Richard (Bud) Emmendorfer.
Preceded in death by his wife Joanne Emmendorfer; daughter Lisa Kreider; son Allen Emmendorfer; parents Raymond and Lucy Emmendorfer; grandson Bryan Davies; granddaughter Kelly Phillips and companion Lois Wolgast.
A visitation for Cletus will be held Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Hill Funeral Home, 11723 South Saginaw Street, Grand Blanc, Michigan 48439, with a Knights of Columbus ceremony at 7:00 PM. A visitation before mass will occur Friday, May 26, 2023 at 9:30 AM. A funeral mass will occur Friday, May 26, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Holy Family Catholic Church, 11804 S Saginaw St, Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hillfh.com for the Emmendorfer family. |
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| Visitation |
| Date: |
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5/25/2023 |
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4:00 PM |
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| Funeral Service |
| Date: |
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5/26/2023 |
| Time: |
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10:00 AM |
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| Location: |
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Brown Funeral Home
S. Saginaw St,
Grand Blanc, MI 48439Get a Map to this location...
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