Clem Donlan

Tuesday, September 26, 2017 6:35 pm

Clem Donlan, 83, of Lime Springs passed away Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, at the Evan’s Memorial Home in Cresco. Services are at Lindstrom Funeral Home in Cresco Friday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m. Burial is at St. Bridget Cemetery in Bluffton. Friends may call Friday from 10 a.m. until time of services at the funeral home.

Clem was born Jan. 27, 1934, to Francis and Ellen ‘Nellie’ (Henry) Donlan of Ridgeway. When Clem was 16, his father died and he took on much of the responsibility of running the family farm. As he grew older, he took on more and more of the responsibility of the farm, eventually running the farm himself. He married Dolores (Skretta) in 1962. Together, they ran the farm and raised four children. After Clem divorced, he continued to run the farm himself. Years later, Clem moved to Lime Springs, and began working for McNeilus truck manufacturing. For over 10 years, Clem delivered new cement, garbage and recycling trucks to McNeilus customers throughout the United States. Clem enjoyed the travel and seeing almost all of the lower 48 states. With his numerous frequent flier miles, he was able to visit Alaska and Canada, and he traveled to Europe several times.

Clem had an appreciation for learning. He taught himself woodworking and did much of the improvement to his home in Lime Springs. He taught himself how to use computers, digital cameras and the internet. While he needed help once in awhile, he never stopped pushing himself to learn and recently started to learn how to play the piano. When he was able, Clem would get back to his farming roots and put in an extensive garden. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends and was always up for going out for a ride in the car. When visiting his son in Gig Harbor, Clem enjoyed trips to Mount Rainier and the hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market.

He is survived by his sister, Elaine (Schmitz) of Odenton, Md.; sister-in-law, Jean Donlan, of Bloomington, Minn.; son, Lee (Jun) Donlan, of Gig Harbor, Wash.; and daughters, Annette (Paul) Lorenz of Cedar Rapids and Valerie Madison of Denver, Colo.; and two wonderful grandchildren, Erina Donlan and John Lorenz.

Clem was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Marvin Donlan of Bloomington, Minn.; brother-in-law, Ken Schmitz of Maryland; and his daughter, Carmel Donlan, of Waterloo.