James (Jim) B. Clevering passed on September 11, 2021. A celebration of life will be held on October 9, 2021 at Forest Lawn Funeral Home (in person and via zoom) in Seattle, Washington where he lived from 2008 to the present.
Jim was born on March 9, 1947 and grew up on a chicken farm in rural Illinois. He proudly recounted his misadventures in one of the last one-room school houses in the community. He graduated from high school in 1965 and later from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI in 1969. He continued his education and earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery from University of Iowa in 1977.
It was in Iowa that Jim met Linda, a librarian at the University of Iowa Library. Whether they met because he was stealing candy from the candy bowl or he was using the phone on the cheap - it does not matter. They married on December 26, 1973. Jim and Linda settled in Lawton, OK in 1977 where he practiced dentistry for over 30 years.
Through those three decades he loved serving the community. He took pride in seeing patients from every walk of life and always endeavored to treat each and every one with respect and compassion. He was also the primary dentist for the Treasure Lake Job Corps in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge and valued the opportunity to provide care for economically disadvantaged youth. He was a member of the Lawton Rotary Club and lent his voice to the First Presbyterian Church Choir. Ever an animal lover, he and Linda kept busy rescuing dogs and cats and caring for their own beloved pets.
Jim and Linda raised three daughters, Sara, Karen, and Marie. His common refrain in the house during their childhood was, "Ladies! Ladies! And I'm using the word loosely..." He was incredibly proud of their accomplishments and of the people they grew to become.
Jim loved the outdoors: hiking up Mt. Scott, hunting and fishing, and long and short runs in and around town with friends, preceded by free coffee and followed by pancakes. He was intensely curious and always eager to learn. When he wasn't working or exercising, he could often be found at the Lawton Public Library, reading anything he found interesting and waiting to accompany Linda home from work.
In 2008, Jim and Linda retired and relocated to Seattle where he quickly found new routes to hike, walk, and explore. He loved to travel and have new experiences; some more adventurous than others. At 45 he went dogsledding in Alaska; at 60, he and Linda travelled to Paris; and at 63 he took guided history tours of Vietnam and Guadalcanal. His most recent international trip was in 2018 when he went whale watching in Baja, Mexico, but any and every trip was a highlight for him.
He had a special spark in his eyes when he spent time with his family, especially his grandkids: Elliot (13) and Henry (11) Roh, Sonja Sawicki (4), and Mattie (8), Tate (5), and Lucia (2) Johnson.
Jim is survived by his wife Linda, his daughters Sara, Karen, and Marie and their families, and his brother John Clevering and his family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his honor at Heifer International (heifer.org), or Equal Justice Initiative (eji.org).
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