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WARREN -- Glessie "Mam" Velma Clemens, 100, passed away peacefully at 8:03 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, under the care of Hospice of the Valley, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born in Lawton, Kentucky on May 1, 1923, the daughter of Sollie and Zilpha Cline Brown. She married Charles N. Clemens on Dec. 28, 1940, and soon after they moved to Niles, where she would spend the next 83 years building a life devoted to her faith and her family. She spent many years at Apostolic Pentecostal Church on DeForest Road in Warren, as a devoted member, always welcoming new members and as a Sunday school teacher. She spent her final eight years living with her daughter and son-in-law, Delena and Thomas Poffenbarger Sr. in Warren. With them, she wintered in Fort Myers, Florida, where she enjoyed nightly golf cart rides and evening trips to the clubhouse, always surrounded by friends, as she never knew a stranger.
Glessie did not sit still often unless she was in church or on her porch enjoying a beautiful day. She loved spending time outdoors and could be found most days sitting in a rocking chair, watching birds as they would fly by. She also enjoyed cooking and would often recount fond memories of her time growing up in Kentucky, shucking corn or snapping green beans.
Her eyes would light up when telling stories about the times she, her parents and her eight siblings had made it through together during her childhood. By the end of most of her stories, she and her audience would be laughing to the point of tears. Her favorite vacation was at a cabin overlooking Lake Erie, with her siblings, daughter and grandchildren.
Glessie took great pride in being a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother and regularly reminded those around her that she raised three generations of children. To be loved by "Mam" was unlike being loved by anyone else in the same way that she, as a person, was unlike anyone else.
She will be remembered as a champion of children, animals, family and faith.
She always recognized her life as a gift to be grateful for and frequently reminded by those around her to do the same. Her memory will live on through her family and friends, all of whom will deeply miss her and forever cherish the time they got to spend with her.
Glessie is survived by a daughter, Delena (Thomas Sr.) Poffenbarger of Warren; three grandchildren, Tuesday Stein, Tracey (Joseph) Labrador, and Thomas (Angelina) Poffenbarger Jr.; four great-grandchildren, Cailee (Zachary) Strickland, Alea (Bradley) Stein, Riley Poffenbarger, and Syler Poffenbarger; two sisters, Ora Porter of Niles, and Ezell Johnson of Warren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles N. Clemens, who passed away on July 6, 1985; an infant daughter, Carolyn Ann; four sisters, Fronia Boggs, Dorothy Cline, Vesta Sparks, and Olive Pykare; and two brothers, Edward Brown, and Watt Brown.
Calling hours will be from noon to 2 p.m., with the funeral to follow at 2 p.m. Saturday Jan. 20, 2024, at the Holeton-Yuhasz Funeral Home. The Rev. Douglas Brown will officiate.
Burial will be in Kerr Cemetery.
The family would like to extend a very special thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff at Hospice of the Valley, for the compassionate care during Glessie's stay there.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Apostolic Pentecostal Church, 3101 DeForest Road, Warren, OH 44484, or Hospice of the Valley, 9803 Sharrott Road, North Lima, OH 44514.
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