Earl W. Clair, age 80, of Fremont, IN and formerly of Wauseon, OH; passed away Friday evening, July 5, 2013 at Northern Lakes Nursing and Rehabilitation in Angola, Indiana. He was born in Pettisville, OH on March 18, 1933 to the late Leon A. Clair and Melissa (Leininger) Clair. He was a Korean War Veteran having served with the U.S Marine Corps; where he earned the Korean Service Medal with 2 stars. He also served with the Ohio State Guard from 1947 – 1947 and the National Guard from 1949 – 1950. Earl married Bonnie Rettig in 1955 and later was united in marriage to Wilma June Aumend in 1987. Later he was a semi truck driver for 35 years and five years for Fulton Industries. After retirement he located to Silver Lake, MI and then to Fremont, IN. Earl attended Emmaus Lutheran Church in Wauseon and Fremont United Methodist Church in Indiana. He was a life member of the Wauseon VFW #7424 and American Legion #265 in Wauseon. He enjoyed carpentry and fishing at Silver Lake in Michigan. Among those surviving are his wife, Wilma "June" Clair of Fremont, IN; children, Cindy (Greg) Nafziger of Covington, KY, Wendy (Dean) Lester of North Carolina, David (Cathy) Rowe of Delta and Cindy (Bill) Mann of Swanton; brother, Donald Clair of Wauseon; eight grandchildren, Brandy, Justin, Amanda, Jared, Tiffany, Kayla, Brian and Eric; great grandchildren and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Doris Bower and brothers, Robert and Marvin Clair. A memorial service celebrating Earl will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, July 19, 2013 at Barnes Funeral Chapel, 5825 St. Hwy.109 in Delta, OH; with receiving of friends prior to the service from 10:00 AM -11:00 AM. Pastor Eric Markovich will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions are encouraged to be made to any hospice organization of the donor's choice in Earl's memory. Online condolences may be sent to the family through our website at www.barnesfuneralchapel.com.
