Clarence Bormann (1921 - 2013)

What is there to say about someone like Clarence?  These are the key guys that constituted my childhood world.  In those days, Clarence & Caroline were part of a core group of folks that gave a secure structure to everything.  Their very involvement left kids like me with an assurance and confidence that the foundational things in our lives (family, community, church, school, farm) were right and proper and enduring.

Of course we've always known - if only at an intellectual level - that these folks wouldn't live forever.  And we've lost plenty of so-important folks already.  But somehow the generational turnover is happening really fast now.  Our children are independent adults.  We're losing way too many of Clarence's generation. Especially in 2013.

Snack-time after what turned out to be our last card game with Clarence.  November 12, 2012.

I guess that's ok, too, and the idea is that - perhaps - we can represent to the next generation a shade of what Clarence and his ilk represented to us.  That's the noble idea, but the immediacy of all this right now is less comfortable.  I suppose maybe his generation also felt like this at certain points along the way?  It's a lot to live up to.

I'm not complaining, just a little shaken.  Especially in Clarence's case it's hard to imagine a better situation - he made it to 92 healthy as can be; we never missed visiting in these last years and he never missed playing 500 with us, baking the bread, sharing with me the Grandpa Bormann whiskey drink - and he and Caroline talking about stuff with us, current and old days.  You could learn something from these encounters, and I sure hope I did.

They were a great comfort to us as recently as February in dealing with Mary's death.

What a lot of life, and change, he saw over these decades.

Clarence was a great guy.  But unfortunately for we who remain:  it's still "was."

Clarence 08 18 13 by pgales56