Juanita Clemens

Juanita Clemens, age 80, of Lebanon, passed away peacefully Friday morning, September 25, 2015 at her home.
She was born September 27, 1934, outside of Weston in the smokehouse located on her grandmother’s farm, to Roy Harry and Mary Elizabeth Ivy Fry.
She attended Holt High School in Holt, where she played volleyball and basketball and Smithville High School where she learned to play the trumpet and was a baton twirler.
Following graduation, Juanita moved to Kansas City to live with an aunt to help take care of her kids. Another move took her to Excelsior Springs where she lived with a police officer and his wife. It was in Excelsior Springs in 1952, she met Leonard Lee Clemens and on his birthday, March 6, 1953, they were married in a church parsonage. She was 18 and he was 20.
When they were first married, she worked at McCleary's Clinic in Excelsior Springs in the dining room.
Leonard was drafted into the army in 1952 and the first two years of marriage they only lived together for a total of 10 months because he was gone all the time.
Juanita volunteered in scouting for 25 years, receiving the District award of Merit from the Boys Scouts of America. She completed the Wood Badge and was co-chairman of the Lake Area Camporee.
For eleven and a half years she was employed at the Good Shephard Care Center in Versailles as the Activities Directors Professional. It was during this time she served as President of the Missouri Activities Association, and was awarded the Activity Director of the Year for the Missouri chapter. She also served on the National Activities Director Government Relations Committee. With the help of her assistant, she started the Safe House Trick or Treating on Halloween at the nursing home, which continues to this day.
Juanita was a Charter member of the ABWA in Versailles, President of the Quad County CWF (Christian Women's Fellowship), and was a member of the Barnett Garden Club. Juanita was a Charter member of the Golden Beach Community Church (remaining a member for 26 years) and was elected as the first church president. She served on several church committees throughout the years and helped with writing the church by-laws and job descriptions. She was also praise and worship leader for a time during those years.
At the time of her death she was attending Calvary Baptist Church in Lebanon.
She enjoyed many hobbies over the years including singing and yodeling, riding horses when she was a child, along with planting flowers and sewing quilts for her grandkids. During the last several years of her life she enjoyed traveling to Versailles to watch her grandsons play football.
She is survived by four children and their spouses, Anita Clemens-Brown and Lane Brown, of Independence; Terre and Donnie Banks, Chris and Pamela Clemens, and David and Laura Clemens all of Lebanon; eleven grandchildren: Justin Banks, St. Louis,, Adam Brown, Independence, Genesis Banks, Independence, Gabe Brown and wife Courtney, Independence, Rachel Baker and husband Jeremy, Springfield, Erin Pavlish and husband Ryan, Waco Nebraska; Jordan, Brett and Andy Clemens, Versailles and Tanner Roy and Shyla Clemens, Lebanon; two great grandchildren, Willow Brown, Independence and Henry Pavlish, Waco; two brothers, Ronald Fry Puyallup, Washington and Toby Fry, Sunshine, Arizona; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Midge Piche and Nancy Long, one brother, Sherman Fry and an infant great granddaughter Codi Faith Brown.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, September 29th at 7:00 pm at the Scrivner-Morrow Funeral Home, 210 E Jasper St., Versailles, Missouri, with Pastor Terry Maddux and Pastor Larry Brown officiating. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm until service on Tuesday at the funeral home.
Graveside services will be on Wednesday, September 30th at 1:00 pm in the Wakenda Cemetery in Hardin, Missouri.
Memorial contributions are suggested to: Hospice Compassus of Lebanon, Calvary Baptist Church of Lebanon or the Boy Scouts of America.

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