John Keller Clement, Sr.

John Keller Clement, Sr., age 101, died Sunday, September 4, 2016 at Sunset House. He was born June 29, 1915 in Toledo to the late Carl H. and Faith (Keller) Clement. John graduated from Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, MI and Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He had an inherent love of learning and at age 100 took an online course through Cornell. He was a veteran of the United States Army during World War II. John owned and operated the Bock Laundry Machine Company for 40 years with his brother Carl. The Bock Laundry Machine Company was founded in the early 1920s by William E. Bock a local inventor, who had many patents. John’s father, Carl, took over the company after Mr. Bock’s death. Always active in the community, he was a longtime member of the Toledo Rotary Club, Toledo Club, Toledo Country Club, Toledo Museum of Art and was a founding member of the Toledo Rowing Club. John enjoyed woodcarving, reading and listening to audio books (primarily on American history), running, rowing and sailing. He was a first at many things for his generation. He started running for exercise in the 1960s, rowing on the Maumee River in the 1980s and he immediately jumped on the new computer technology with an iphone, ipad and computer, as soon as they were available. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of computers and technology with his contemporaries and would often urge them to learn about emailing and Facebook. After the death of his daughter Susanna in 1988, he and his wife Dorothy created a fund at the Toledo Art Museum to help students in their pursuit of fine art degrees and/or Museum related careers. They also created the Clement Gallery for photography at the University of Toledo Center for the Visual Arts. Surviving are his children, Faith Rich, John (Chris) Clement, Jr., James (Pat) Clement and Jane (Ted) Hufstader; eleven grandchildren; and ten great grandchildren. John was also preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Gipe Clement; and second wife Katherine Allen Clement; daughters, Susanna Clement and Dorothy Emery; and brother, Carl Clement. Friends and relatives are invited to visit on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. in the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. (west of Corey Rd.). Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 9, 2016 at Collingwood Presbyterian Church, 2108 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo. Burial will follow at Historic Woodlawn Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to the John and Dorothy Clement Fund at the Toledo Museum of Art, or the Toledo Rotary Club.