Clendel Franklin Williams

Clendel Franklin Williams

December 30, 1922 – November 7, 2021

Clendel Franklin Williams, age 98, of Campbellsburg, Indiana died November 7, 2021 at the Schneck Medical Center, Seymour, Indiana after a short illness.

He was born December 30, 1922, in Brown Township, Washington County to Alice Cornwell Williams and Albert C. Williams.

Clendel was a 1942 graduate of Salem High School.  He was of Christian faith, having accepted the Lord at the age of twelve and baptized in the Clifty Creek near the Mount Carmel Christian Church.

He married Edna E. Satkamp on June 17, 1944 at the Lutheran Church Parsonage in Stendal, Indiana.

During World War II, he was employed by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company from July 1942 to August 1945 as an electric arc welder in the construction of the Landing Ship Tanks (LST) vessels at the Evansville Shipyards.  After the war, he was an auto body craftsman, having attended the Utilities Engineering School in Chicago, Illinois.  He was subsequently employed by the Glass Motors dealership in Salem, Indiana, and he later operated his own auto body repair shop in Campbellsburg.

After a short period of time, Clendel applied for employment with Morris Five & Ten Department store located on the Salem public square.  He was hired as an assistance manager and later transferred to the company’s headquarter store in Mount Vernon, Illinois, where he learned the merchandising business during his employment with the Morris company.

Upon returning to Salem, Clendel was employed by Ralph Callam, who hired him as manager of the Callam Appliance Store on North Main Street.  About two years later, Mr. Callam learned that the American Security Finance company in Salem was interested in hiring someone as a trainee for the assistance manager position.  Mr. Callam suggested that American Security Finance should interview Clendel for that position.

Clendel was immediately employed as an assistance manager, and one year later he was promoted to the position of general manager of the American Security Finance office in Salem. After twenty-two years of employment with American Security Finance, he continued his financial career with the Personal Finance Company which purchased American Security Finance.

Clendel continued as the general manager of the Salem Personal Finance office until his retirement in December of 1987 at the age of 65, all together a career of 37 years in the consumer financial business.

He was past president of the Salem Rotary Club, having been a member the early years of its organization. In 1962, he was appointed to the West Washington School board, serving as secretary for over nine years.  Later he served as a treasurer with the West Washington School Building Corporation.

Clendel was also a member and Trustee of the Salem Odd Fellows Lodge Number 67, again serving as Secretary and Treasurer.  He was also appointed as Brown Township Trustee, serving the township for over five years.

During his early retirement, he enjoyed the restoration of old vehicles.  However, his most enduring passion was the writing of short stories, eventually having two books published.  His first book, Blue Echo Memories, was based on reminiscing of his Grandmother Louisa Jane Lee Cornwell about the Mount Carmel Church community north of Campbellsburg.

Clendel’s second book, Echoes of Freedom, was about his employment at the Evansville Shipyards building Landing Ship Tanks (LST) vessels for the United States Navy.  This particular book was featured in the USS LST 325 Ship Memorial History Museum in Evansville, Indiana.  He had a Lifetime membership in the USS LST 325 Ship Memorial as an Honorary Captain.

Several of his short stories were published in the Hoosier Heritage magazine.  He was organizing more than seventy more stories for a third book, Kindred Spirits, at the time of his death.

Clendel was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Rullus Williams, and his loving wife Edna.  He is survived by his son, Ryan (Sally) Williams of Charlotte, North Carolina; daughters Nancy (Dwaine) Isenberg of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Jane (Rick) Drane of Memphis, Indiana; seven grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren.

Services will be held Friday at 11AM at Weathers Funeral Home. John W. Hughes will officiate. Burial will follow in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Campbellsburg. Clendel requests that memorial contributions be made to the Washington County Historical Society at Steven’s Museum, 307 E. Market St. Salem, Indiana 47167.