Obituary of William Holton Clare
William Holton Clare (Bill), 97, of Milwaukie, Oregon, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 16, 2020 of natural causes. He was born October 10, 1922 to Thomas and Leloa Clare in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. He was one of three children. Bill graduated from Franklin High School in 1940. After a brief time studying at Oregon State University, Bill joined the US Navy and fought in World War II in Guadalcanal. While on leave in San Francisco, California, he met Della Stout, who was also in the US Navy. After a brief courtship, Bill and Della married on August 3, 1945 in San Francisco, California. They eventually settled in Milwaukie, Oregon where they raised their two sons, Steve and Stann. Bill and Della were married for 60 years. Bill was predeceased by his parents, Tom and Leola, his sisters, Delora and Virginia and his wife, Della. He is survived by his sons, Steve and Stann, 8 grandchildren and their spouses, Joshi and BZ, Sequoia and Gregg, Stephanie, Jonathon, Kim and Roland, Tempel, Macala and Charlie, Patrick and Dorothy and 16 great grandchildren.
Bill worked for 40 years for Eastman Kodak as a salesman and District Manager in both Spokane, Washington and Portland, Oregon. Everyone who knew Bill, knew how much he loved sports and being physically active. Throughout his life he played softball, volleyball, racquetball, golf and of course was an avid skier. He was inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame in Spokane, Washington. Bill could be found on the slopes of Mt. Hood Meadows every weekend until he was 90 years old. To see what kind of mark he left on the skiing community, visit https://nwskiers.org/bill-clare. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. As a member of the “greatest generation” he was wonderful example of living life to the fullest and making every day count.
A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date when family and friends can all gather safely. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Alzheimer Disease Research at https://support.brightfocus.org/default.aspx?tsid=9442&_ga=2.107487234.1864413423.1598233891-1047419317.1598233891
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