Clyde Bernard LeMaister

Entries from Obit, Anacortes American goanacortes.com, 3/17/2005:

Clyde was a member of the Samish Indian nation and was also known as a French-Canadian, born in the San Juan Islands, WA: Lopez Is., Cypress Is., Center Is., Blakely Is., Guemes Is., & Decatur Is. were all places he may have lived with his family, as his father was a fisherman, as was Clyde since an early age. The family moved to Anacortes, Fidalgo Is., about 1920?

Clyde was a 1928 graduate of AHS, Anacortes High School, home of the first ever Seahawk Football Team. He entered into a loving and long-lasting marriage with Jennie Gay Senff ( childhood sweethearts) in September of 1932. They shared many lifelong hobbies, including hunting, and raising hunting dogs, fishing, (Jennie won the 2nd ever salmon derby in 1938), boating, gardening, and enjoying the fellowship of family and friends, especially their ongoing nightly cribbage match at a penny a point that went on into their 80s. Clyde had one of the now gone boat "houses" at Cap Sante Marina, where he took his boat out until,

At 94, he suffered a small stroke while lifting his boat motor. He was still playing cribbage however with his niece Andrea and her children at 96, although his hands shook, so he needed help shuffling the cards.

Clyde served his country faithfully in Germany in the U.S. Army from 1944 until his discharge in 1946. He was one of the original shareholders and owner/employee of Anacortes Veneer, the plywood mill. He worked as a tugboat operator until his retirement in 1973, when the one-legged seagull named "Pegleg Bill", that he had fed every morning when he came to work for 20 years, also disappeared. A Seattle paper picked up this story. Later, the closed mill burnt down the night they got rid of the night watchman.

Clyde enjoyed excellent health until the last few years of his long life. He hunted deer from his property on the west Beach side of Guemes Island, a family getaway for many years. He claimed he never had to buy firewood, because the currents would bring every log that escaped delivery at the mill to his beach.

When hiking proved too much for him at 89, he still insisted on planting his garden, and got help from others who followed his directions. He and Jennie loved to pick berries and make not only jams and jellies and canned goods, but also a very strong berry wine. He smoked his own salmon, having built a smoker in his basement. He lived a full and blessed life, beloved of his many relations and always willing to help anyone on a project such as building an inkle loom in his garage, which was outfitted with every tool and saw you might need. Although Jennie and Clyde had rebuilt and restored the old Allan Building downtown on R Ave. into a beautiful home near where they built the skate park, near where Grandma Senff, Jennie's mom, had a 4 bdr 2 story home as well, the urban renewal project wanted to take everyone's homes on R and get federal money to do so, so they lost their homes and had to move elsewhere.

Eden Cemetery, Guemes Is. is where Clyde, Jennie, and Tim LeMaister (d. 12/2013) are buried as well.

Here is a funny poem entitled

POOR OLD CLYDE, written by Harry Martin  about Andi Bowe's Uncles, Les and Clyde, who both loved to hunt and fish:

"Les and Clyde in the Olive T Were heading north with Rottluff and me Les took the wheel to Dee harbor Bay and poor old Clyde steered the rest of the way.

Les would sleep and eat and rest Poor old Clyde just did his best.

Les got fat and felt real good, Screaming at Clyde every chance he could. Clyde tried to get him to take the wheel But Les said -that's not part of the deal.

Old Clyde got tired and his head would nod. So Les would jab him with a fishing rod. Les said, You didn't sign on to get your rest So poor old Clyde just did his best.

You could hear Les giving orders a mile away Poor old Clyde didn't have much to say.. That's just the way Les wanted it to stay. He like it that way.

Les got meaner and meaner each day, But poor old Clyde just wasted away. Clyde asked for water and something to eat, But Les said no and kicked with his feet.

Clyde said, Les, I'm feeling poor Les just grinned and kicked some more.

We made it to Warm spring in a nine-day run So we thought we'd soak and have some fun. We looked inside the wheel house door and There was Les sleeping on the floor, While poor old Clyde behind the wheel, Couldn't speak or even feel.

We woke up Les and said what's wrong with Clyde, But Les said, forget him, let's go inside. We got to Sitka the following day And Les felt fine, was happy and gay, But poor old Clyde just wasted away.

We put him in the hospital that very night And the doctor said he was a terrible sight. He was skin and bones, his eyes were red, Clyde had bumps all over his head.

Old doc cut off his clothes and said with a sigh, This man, I'm afraid, is sure to die. Les just laughed and shook his head. Told the Doc to throw old Clyde in bed.

Les said Come on boys, I'm buying the beer. Well just leave old Clyde here. But I heard Les say tot the Doc before I left, To lock Clyde up tight and don't let him roam, Because I'll need him next fall when I'm headed home."

Note: Les Senff took his boat The Deception to Alaska every summer to help support college kids, and Wallie Funk, Anacortes newspaper photographer has recently published a book with his photos of a trip he took with Les to Alaska "on a dare".

Wallie V. Funk passed away this Aug 2017 at 95. Here are some links: http://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/news/newspaperman-wallie-funk-die...

http://www.anacortes.net/anacortes-magazine/2012/08/wallie-funk-cel...