Lloyd Clyde “Bill” Clemmons, 87, Florence, husband of the late Mary Young Clemmons, entered his heavenly home on Sunday, June 16, 2024. In his last days on this earth, he was surrounded by family. His sister, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and more traveled from all ends of the country to see him and to tell him one indisputable truth: He was a great man. And he has been a lesson to us all in what it means to be great.
Reflecting on Bill’s life shows that he was, in many ways, larger than life, with an unbeatable will to do and to deliver on his desire to serve the world. Bill was a historian, a researcher, a genealogist, a farmer, a writer, a family man, a follower of God, a storyteller – and the story that he wove throughout his life was centered here in Florence, Alabama. It’s where his family came from, where he raised his family, and where he dedicated himself to telling countless stories of his beloved community.
Bill was the ninth child of Louie Malcolm and Algie Mae Hill Clemmons. He grew up in a two-room log cabin on a small farm, where he lived until he married Mary Young Clemmons on March 4, 1960. They shared more than 60 years of loving marriage before she passed away on Oct. 11, 2023.
One theme that stayed consistent in Bill’s story was his devotion to the Lord and belief in the Providence of God’s plan. Growing up, he was a member of Mount Zion church of Christ and continued to attend the church with Mary and his children until 1976, when they moved to downtown Florence and placed membership at Wood Avenue church of Christ. He served as an elder there from 1982 to 1990. For the past several years, Bill and Mary were members of the church of Christ at Macedonia, a small but close-knit congregation near the farm out in Lauderdale County where they spent many beautiful, happy years.
Bill graduated from Rogers High School in 1955. It was there that the story of his service to his community began. Decades later, he still spoke proudly of his roles as Beta Club President and Boys State Representative. (He was also a member of the Glee Club and Future Farmers of America – embracing multifaceted interests was a lifelong trait.) Bill attended Larimore Business College, took Dale Carnegie courses, and attended classes at the University of North Alabama on subjects such as computers, creative writing and history.
Bill was a lifelong learner; though he never obtained a formal degree, his research skills and dedication to recording and sharing knowledge could rival any professional academic. He sometimes liked to say that he attended the “school of life” – and the lessons it taught him were invaluable. Fortunately for us all, he shared these lessons in his writings and his storytelling.
Bill fulfilled many varied roles throughout his life and career: farm worker, shipping clerk, construction worker, aluminum worker, chemical plant operator, soldier, instructor, supervisor, human resources manager (for three industrial plants), real estate salesman, church elder, and caregiver. In 1960, he began working at Diamond Alkali, where he would build a career for more than 32 years, growing with the company as it evolved to become Diamond Shamrock and eventually Occidental Chemical Corp. He started out in the Cell Repair crew and worked his way up to a leadership position as human resources manager.
Bill juggled his early career with service in the Army, which he entered in 1960. He trained as a telephone lineman at the United States Army South Eastern Signal Corps School (USASESCS) and received an award as the Honor Student recognized across the entire school. In his own words, “This was quite an honor for a country boy from the cotton fields of Alabama who had never been anywhere.” But soon, this country boy would head off halfway around the world for a mission in Korea. He stayed there for 13 months, and his battalion commander commended him for cementing the “bond of unity” between the personnel of two nations.
When Bill returned to Florence, his family had grown by one, and he bonded with his eldest daughter Jennifer instantly. The love that Bill and Mary shared continued to blossom into a beautiful family as they welcomed their son Mike and daughter Beth in the following years. As Bill established his career, served his country and built his family, he still found time to be involved in his community. Bill and Mary were founding members of the Natchez Trace Genealogical Society, and Bill was active in the Exchange Club and Muscle Shoals Personnel Association.
In 1990, Bill embarked on a new adventure with Mary and moved to Convent, Louisiana, just outside of Baton Rouge, to serve as the HR manager of two OxyChem plants. It was there that he learned to make delicious gumbo and jambalaya, two dishes that became favorites among his kids and grandkids over the next decades. Wherever he went, he embraced the new chapter in his story; he learned, he took lessons with him, and he shared them with the ones he loved.
Bill and Mary closed out their chapter in Louisiana in 1992 to care for Mary’s father. After returning to Florence, Bill worked in real estate, and in 2006, he and Mary joined their daughter Beth and her family in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Bill worked as the HR manager for Trace Die Cast, the family business of Beth’s husband Brett. Bill and Mary formed strong relationships with this extended family, showing that their dedication to family extended beyond blood. They understood the value of family to be something that you created, cultivated, and nurtured – and they did so with a commitment so admirable that it has inspired new generations to do the same.
Bill and Mary returned to Florence once again to care for his brother Delmar in his old age. After he passed away, they received a phone call that could only be described as serendipitous. Before moving to Bowling Green, they had sold the beautiful farmhouse they built on Mary’s old family land. Just as they were deciding what their next chapter would be, the family they had sold the house to give them a call: They were moving away, and wanted to let Bill and Mary know first, as they knew what this place had meant to them.
Bill and Mary returned to the farm that they so loved, and this is where they spent the last years of their life together. It’s where their grandchildren had grown up taking rides in the pasture and wandering through the woods and learning what it meant to be part of a family filled with love. Now they would see their grandchildren grow there again, and watch their great-grandchildren get to know this beloved land. With their large extended family, visitors were frequent; they had created a place that could feel like home for anyone who passed through.
One day, an unexpected visitor showed up in the form of a muscly dog with a shiny black coat. Instantly, it seemed that she had found a home on this farm too. Maggie was named for the magnolia tree that marked the entrance to the farm, a quintessential symbol of Bill’s dear home of Alabama. Bill loved being outside, observing nature, and tending to his garden full of fresh vegetables and leafy greens. Maggie was a loyal companion to Bill, staying by his side as he worked the land every day.
In these years, Bill dove deeper into his passion for the history of his local community. He conducted extensive research on the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic and its impact on the Shoals. He was instrumental in establishing a memorial monument of national importance to honor the lives lost in that pandemic, which had particularly impacted the families engaged in building the National Defense Nitrogen Plants of WWI. Bill authored and published a book titled Thoughts Remembrances Unique Experiences, a memoir and reflection from “a boy who grew up on a small farm in Northwest Alabama” and was “blessed beyond measure by the Providence of our Creator.” That boy from the small farm led a very big life – and we are thankful that he chose to share his life as a writer and storyteller.
Bill enjoyed many years of bliss with Mary on the farm. Always an archivist, he snapped pictures of everything from his family to the foggy fields at dusk to the flowers growing in fertile soil, and he loved to share these snapshots with friends and family on Facebook. But of course, age brings challenges – and Bill rose to meet these challenges with the bravery and strength of a warrior, and the love and dedication of a disciple of God. As Mary struggled with dementia, his commitment to her was unwavering. Whatever confusion she faced, Bill was her source of comfort; if she questioned whether she was home, she asked for Bill. And with him there, she was home. He was her home. Even as he went through surgery in his battle with cancer, he had one goal: to be home with Mary and to care for her. The love of God shone through in Bill’s love for Mary. This part of his story may not be recorded in the archives of his research. But it lives on in this most valuable lesson: Love is powerful. And it lasts far beyond our time on this earth. Bill’s friends and family will forever live with his love in their hearts.
Bill is survived by daughter Jennifer Hardy (Michael McNamara), son Mike Clemmons (Diania), daughter Beth Guthrie (Brett); sister Charlotte Bretherick (Ben); grandchildren Dr. Emily Hardy (Graham Hindle), Nick Clemmons (Ruth), Will Hardy, Tyler Clemmons (Kristen), Caroline Randolph (Ryan), Robby Guthrie (Jessica), Kathryn Clemmons, Gillian Bussey (Austin), Elizabeth Guthrie, Claire Clemmons; great-grandchildren Rowan Randolph, Clyde Clemmons, Ezra Clemmons, Laine Randolph, Oliver Guthrie; numerous nieces, nephews, and a host of dear friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Young Clemmons; parents Louie and Algie Clemmons; sisters Louise Warren (Dotson), Elsie Butler (Vernon), Ila Clemmons, Fannie Clemmons; brothers James Clemmons (Stella), Delmar Clemmons (Lorna), Kelsie Clemmons (Claudia), Thomas “Tee” Clemmons (Doyce).
Visitation will be Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Greenview Funeral Home. Funeral will begin at 12 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow in Greenview Memorial Park. Eulogy will be delivered by Bill’s son-in-law Congressman Brett Guthrie. Pallbearers will be grandsons Nick Clemmons, Tyler Clemmons, Robby Guthrie and Ryan Randolph, great-nephew Cypress Warren, and friend Nathan Antwan.
Bill’s family would like to thank CenterWell Home Health and Alabama Hospice of the Shoals for the wonderful care they provided him. Donations can be made to either of these organizations or the charity of your choice.
