Name: Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home and Cemetery
Address: Houston, TX

This was written for Dad by Frances, with input from Jo Ann and Karen.

Clarence Edward Mendel, Sr. was born January 19, 1925 in Houston, TX.  Along with his three brothers, Ernest, Calvin and Gene, he was raised on 150 acres in north Houston, mainly farming vegetables, but they also had cows, raised hay and feed corn and had many other animals.  
Dad was a skilled hunter from childhood, and one of his favorite pictures is of him at age 4 with dogs Rex and Jerry and the rabbits they put down.  Fran asked him recently if he missed hunting, and he replied that he would go tomorrow if he could.

He went to Aldine High School (then known as S.M.N. Marrs) where he participated in track and was a cheerleader.

He enlisted in the Army in April 1943 where he spent four months in the Motorcycle Division at Ft. Riley, Kansas.  He joined the Horse Cavalry and patrolled the Texas border from Brownsville to Ringo, Marfa and El Paso.  He then went by ship and served in India, Burma and China.
   
Following his discharge from the service in January 1946, he attended an Aldine High School dance where his brother Gene introduced him to Kathryn Elizabeth Botts.  He told us that she was so beautiful that she could have been a movie star.  Following a short courtship, Clarence and Kathryn were married on August 9, 1946.  At the tender age of 26 he had four children ranging in age from 3 1/2 to newborn.

Daddy thought his career would follow in his own Dad’s footsteps.  They worked hard planting a multitude of vegetables.  Everything came in beautifully, and he was dreaming of buying a red convertible.  But then it started raining …. and raining….. and raining.  The crop was ruined, and he said, ‘never again’.  Through the years, if you knew our Dad, you knew that he was a true artist and sculpture of soil.  His gardens were always so plentiful and lush, and his beloved pecan trees would bear the tastiest fruit.  You will see just a few of his gardens if you view his pictorial slides.


(cont’d.)
Daddy also became a sculpture of dirt in Houston, Memorial City and Spring Shadows, Beaumont, Galveston, Conroe, Port Arthur, and many more cities.  He lost his right eye in a construction accident in his 20’s, but it didn’t hinder his vision.  HIS was a sharp eye, and he would see things others would easily miss.  He was frequently complimented for his ability to ‘carry a grade’ by sight.  His work was so well respected that he didn’t have to seek jobs – they came to him in droves.  And he continued working into his 80’s. 

We didn’t have a lot of extras when we were kids, but we were well taken care of.  Dad was usually up and gone before 6 am in the morning and would get home around 4:30 or 5.  He would read the paper, then we would have supper as a family (all seriousness; there was no cutting up at our table).  We went to church every Sunday, and most Sundays we would have family gatherings with either the Mendel or the Botts clan.  Dad loved to play cards, dominos and croquet, and was pretty frequently the winner.  He was a whiz with math and numbers.  His brother, Calvin, asked him once why he completed Sudoku with a pen; what would he do if he made a mistake?  Dad said, “I don’t make mistakes”.  And that was pretty much true when it came to math.

He was an active member of Assumption, Saint Charles Borromeo, and Saint Edward Catholic churches and was a Lay Minister.  He assisted with building booths for bazaars, was President of the Holy Name Society at Saint Charles and volunteered his time with many other church activities.  He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and was very proud of all the extraordinary work they do.


(cont’d.)
Mom died in May 2005.  Dad was lonely and in 2006 began attending Senior Saints at Saint Edward with his friends, Philip and Virginia Leschelske.  There he met Dallie Ward Bedford.  He told us she was a combination of our Mom and our Great Grandmother Annie Schehin, and that combination was hard to beat.  They married on January 20, 2007.  He was 82, she 81.  Dad loved Dallie dearly and told us near the end of his life that he had been blessed to have two wonderful wives.
 
Dad was ‘old school’.  He had the strongest work ethic of anyone we have ever known.  He loved all of his family dearly, and he was especially close to his brother Gene in these last few years.  He also loved all of Dallie’s family.  He had incredible wit, was humble, kind, a good friend and neighbor, and he took great care of his family and friends.  If someone was sick, he was there.  He was a saver, and although we didn’t have anything to excess, we were always well provided for. 

Daddy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2016 at the age of 91.  He mostly bore his pain in silence and never let it interfere with what he considered were his obligations.  He was fortunate that the most excellent Oncologist, Dr. Murtaza Bhuriwala, was assigned to his case.  For more than 2 years he cared for our Dad; and we thank him for his part in allowing us to keep him as long as we could.  We also want to thank Maureen Drepaul for assisting with Dad’s care during his last days at home and Vitas Hospice Care, who made his last two days on earth as comfortable as possible.

Dad was truly an extraordinary man, and we were blessed to have him for so many years.  We are happy he is now in the arms of the Lord and no longer suffering.  We pray for peace for those of us who will so sorely miss him.


When Clarence became part of our family we were truly blessed. He brought such joy and love to our Mother and to us all. Even when challenges were great he never waivered in his devotion. I will miss him always

Clarence was our brother in law  for many years ,  much loved and a very good man. Buddy still mentions all the croquet games they would battle in. We shared many occasions together and had a lot of fun. God bless his family during this hard loss for them. He will be missed tremendously. No more pain or sufferering for him. There is rejoicing in Heaven I’m sure.

Our love,
Deacus and Buddy

Clarence and my Mamaw were like two peas in a pod. You could just see the love they had for one another on their faces!  He was the biggest blessing to come into her (and the family's) life!  Such a fighter he was.  You will be missed, Clarence.  XOXO

OBITUARY

Clarence Edward Mendel

19 January, 1925 – 23 January, 2019

Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home & Cemetery

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