Dale E. Clements

He was born on November 9, 1955, in Springfield, IL, the son of Harry E. and Wanda (Pratt) Clements. Dale married Pam Forsyth on June 2, 1979, in Berlin, IL. He was preceded in death by his father.

Dale is survived by his wife, Pam Clements of New Berlin; daughter, Niccole Da’el Clements of Springfield; son, Zachary (Jayla) Clements; grandchildren, Brayton Clements, Ely Tolliver, and Bell Tolliver, all of New Berlin; mother, Wanda Clements of Springfield; sister, Monica Clements of Springfield; niece, Kamryn Giddings; and nephew, Korvic Giddings.

Dale graduated from New Berlin High School. In his formative years, he worked along aside his father, Harry E. Clements, and uncle, Carl Clements, specializing in masonry construction. Their work became a staple of the community and they were known for great craftsmanship. Dale went on to work with several other local contractors and developed his skills as a tradesman perfecting his craft in almost every aspect of homebuilding.

By the early 1990’s, Dale made the decision to work for himself and then later formed Clements Construction, specializing in speculative and custom home building. Dale was one of the first contractors to build homes in the Deerfield, Oakbrook, Fox Creek, Grants Ridge, and Heritage Point subdivisions amongst several others. Dale’s business grew thanks to his many employees, sub-contractors, and vendors that he worked with over the years. While they all would inevitably give each other a hard time, he would worry himself sick if he thought there was not enough work to keep them busy. He had the pleasure of getting to work with a couple of his lifelong best friends on many jobs over the years. While there are too many to name over his long construction career, he loved working with Dan Daugherty, and always valued Dennis Daugherty’s tremendous drafting skills. He was also especially proud that he was able to work alongside his son, Zachary Clements, and watch him develop his own construction trades and home inspection business. He was supported by his wife, Pamela Clements, who often performed secretarial duties while holding a job and maintaining the household.

Dale was best known for his vision, passion, and commitment to his work. His wife and kids can attest you would often find Dale in the early morning hours pacing the hardwood floors with a cup of coffee in one hand and a blue print in the other lining out the day’s work in his own “blue-collar” way. When it came to his craft, Dale was meticulous! He often pondered over the smallest of details that to some seemed unimportant. Despite his gruff demeanor, he had an uncanny way of addressing the faintest of flaws, anticipating challenges, making changes midstream, envisioning the end-product and demanding perfection.

Dale enjoyed camping (especially with his good buddy, Ed Cantrell), traveling to places such as Wyoming, South Dakota, and New Mexico, socializing with his buddies at his favorite “watering holes,” watching football, old westerns, and reruns of Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith, and Bonanza. He loved The Rolling Stones, and 70’s era rock ‘n roll. Later in life, his best buddy was his dog, Ronnie. He also especially enjoyed the time he got to spend with his grandson, Brayton.

The family will be hosting a memorial luncheon in honor of Dale at the Berlin Christian Church, 2580 S. Wake Rd., New Berlin, Illinois, on Saturday, January 18, 2025, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. We invite all family and friends to come and celebrate the life of Dale. Immediately following, we invite everyone to join in for a celebration of life at Mahan’s Wildside, Rte. 123 & Old 36, Alexander, Illinois, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., where food will also be served. At the end of the day, Dale was proud to be a small-town guy who enjoyed having a cold beer with family and friends. There will be a short program at 4:00 p.m., followed by continued memories, laughs and stories about time well spent with him. Please come eat and have a drink on Dale as that is the way he would have wanted it!

Cremation was provided by Butler Cremation Tribute Center.

The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home – New Berlin, 714 E. Gibson St., New Berlin.