William J Clemens, age 85, of South Sioux City died Friday evening at a local care facility.
Services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday May 14, 2011 at St. Michaels Catholic Church in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Interment will be held at a later date. Visitation will be held Friday from 6-8 pm with a vigil service held at 7:00 pm at the church.

William J. Clemens was born at home near St. Michael’s Church in South Sioux on February 27, 1926. He was the third of seven children born to John and Helen (Twohig) Clemens. He graduated from Blessed Sacrament Grade School in Sioux City in 1940 and from Trinity High in Sioux City Iowa in 1944.
He enlisted into the U.S. Navy on February 11, 1944 and entered into active service on June 2. He served as gunners mate aboard the USS Munsee (AFT-107) in the Pacific and was honorably discharged as Seaman First Class on May 16, 1946.
After WWII Bill joined his family in Omaha Nebraska and first worked as a yardman for Interstate Commission Company at the Omaha Stockyards and then as a cattle buyer for Cudahy Packing Company. In 1950 he married Jean Turnquist at St. Anne Catholic Church in Logan Iowa and moved to Denver Colorado where he continued to work for Cudahy. From Denver the couple moved to Billings Montana where Buck sold cattle for Central Livestock at the Billings Stockyards and travelled many parts of the country, attaching sizable affection to it and to many friends. The couple enjoyed the birth of three of their five children while in Montana and then eventually moved to Sioux City where the two youngest children were born. Buck began working for Needham Packing Company (Sioux City Dressed Beef) and then Flavorland Industries. Buck officed at the Sioux City Livestock Exchange Building during his later years, working with Central Livestock out of South St. Paul Minnesota and then as Clemens Livestock Order Buyers.
During most of the 1960’s Buck coached basketball at Blessed Sacrament and developed lifelong interest in his players. He was the founding troop leader for Boy Scouts of America troop 100 at Blessed Sacrament. He was a longtime supporter of high school sports, particularly Billings Central and Bishop Heelan High. He was a faithful fan of Notre Dame and the New York Yankees. He was a proud member of the Siouxland WWII Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in October 2009, over 63 years after returning home.
Buck savored and shared the memories he had as a kid growing up in Sioux City. He enjoyed Friday luncheons each month for many years with his kindergarten classmates and could extraordinarily describe his memories of them, his Trinity classmates, livestock colleagues, players, friends, and family. He enjoyed times spent with friends and family over the years throughout the country, particularly in Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, the Black Hills, and Wall.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents John and Helen, by Jean Clemens, by two brothers: John Clemens and the late Joseph Clemens, and by two sisters and their husbands: Gerry Dougherty and husband Pat (and their sons John, Tim, and Tom) and the late Carol Fitzgibbons and husband Tom (and their sons Tom and Joe).
He is survived by a brother Dr. Richard and wife Mary Anne Clemens of Omaha, one sister Terri and husband Mike Darby of Tekamah Nebraska, sister-in-law Carroll Clemens of Federal Way Washington (wife of deceased brother Joe), daughters Joni M. Clemens, Maj, USAF of Wichita Kansas and Kelly Clemens of Sioux City, and sons Bill (wife JoAnn) of South Dakota, Tim of LeMars Iowa, Fred (wife Suzy) of Los Olivos California, Renee Meuret, four granddaughters, 7 grandsons, a great granddaughter and great grandson, and by many close nephews and nieces and their families.
Buck was a friend of many including Bill W. for over 46 years. Each friend in return helped Buck throughout well over half his life here. God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; courage to change the things we can; and wisdom to know the difference.