David Clements

David Clements, 89, of Charlotte, NC, died Monday, August 15, 2011, with his family by his side. Mr. Clements was born December 12, 1921, in Nashville, TN. He was the son of Ronald Bruce and Stella Bertha Smith Clements. He was a World War II veteran serving in the South Pacific in General Douglas MacArthur's Battalion Headquarters, United States Armed Forces Far East. Professor Clements received his A.B. degree from Valdosta State University and his M.A. degree from Vanderbilt University. He taught at the college level within the University of Georgia system for thirty years and spent his last twenty years as an associate professor of English at Dalton State College. He retired in 1989 as Associate Professor Emeritus of English. Following retirement, he was co-proprietor of Clements and Christie Bookstore. He was an avid collector of antique and first edition books and served as moderator of various book clubs. Professor Clements was a member of the Okefenokee Golf and Country Club and a life-long golfer. He was a devoted follower of University of Georgia football and Duke University basketball and was active in many civic and church activities. His wife of fifty-eight years, Jo Ussery Clements, preceded him in death. He is survived by two daughters, Jo Clements Saye, and her husband, Jake Lee Saye, Jr., of Charlotte, NC, and Olivia Clements Brasington and her husband, James Ernest Brasington, of Waycross, GA; one son, Ronald Bartlett Clements, of Brunswick, GA; six grandchildren, Shannon Lee Saye, of Charlotte, NC, David Benjamin Herren Saye and his wife, Robyn Moo-Young Saye, of Charlotte, NC, Virginia Buff Brasington of Waycross, GA, Anna Olivia Brasington of Atlanta, GA, Ronald Bartlett Clements, Jr. of Waycross, GA, and Lee Clements Lewis and husband, Russell Ray Lewis, of Westminster, CA; and three great-grandchildren, David Joseph Spenser Saye and Sofia Ann Saye of Charlotte, NC, and Colleen Mae Lewis of Westminster, CA. He was also preceded in death by two brothers, Ronald Bruce Clements, Jr. of Nashville, TN, and Harry Bartlett Clements of Greensboro, NC; and one sister, Harriet Anna Clements Villines of Springfield, TN. A private memorial service will be held Saturday, August 27, 2011, in the chapel of Trinity Methodist Church, Waycross, GA., with Reverend David L. White officiating. Interment services will follow at Oakland Cemetery. Pallbearers are Ronald Bartlett Clements, Jake Lee Saye, Jr., James Ernest Brasington, David Benjamin Herren Saye, Ronald Bartlett Clements, Jr., David Cleveland King of Atlanta, GA, and Henry Grady Lance of Dalton, GA. Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC, 28211. The family wishes to extend special appreciation to the doctors and nursing staff at Sardis Oaks Rehab Center and Presbyterian Hospital pulmonary unit, Charlotte, NC, and Hospice House, Rock Hill, SC. Arrangements by Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home, Rock Hill, SC, and Miles-Odum Funeral Home, Waycross, GA.