Clarence Darrow

Clarence Darrow Jr., 93, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 5, 2021 with family and his Pastor by his side. Clarence was born on March 11, 1928 in Flint, Michigan to Clarence and Blanche (Green) Darrow. He was the youngest of three children and the only boy. In 1938, Clarence’s family moved to a small farm in Lapeer, Michigan where he attended a one room school house. He took great pride in being hired by the teacher to arrive early so he could start the wood burning stove in the winter time. Clarence attended Lapeer High School. After his Freshman year, Clarence’s family moved back to Flint as gasoline was rationed due to WWII, and his Dad was working 7 days a week at the Flint GM plant where they were making equipment for the War. Since Clarence was very active at Lapeer High School, he became a boarder at the home of his best friend, Malcom Stephens. The Stephen’s became his second family, and Clarence would affectionately talk about sleeping in the upstairs screened porch all winter as Mrs. Stephen’s believed being in the cold night air kept one healthier; bedtime snacks with salt-rising bread; Mr. Stephen’s wine cellar where Clarence promised that Malcom and he never sampled unsupervised, and so many other stories shared with great fondness. Malcolm and Clarence remained life- long friends until Malcom’s passing in 2019. At Lapeer High School, Clarence excelled in athletics and as a Senior was awarded the “Best All Around Athlete of the Year.” After graduating in 1945, Clarence attended Kemper Military School in Booneville, Missouri from 1945 to 1947. His parents were fearful of Clarence being drafted into WWII so they wanted him to be prepared. This lead to the decision to send Clarence to a Military College. Clarence was drafted into WWII however by the time the papers arrived, the War ended and he thankfully never had to report. A shining moment for Clarence while being a student at Kemper was being in the band where he played the trumpet, and they performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Clarence attended Flint Junior College from 1948 to 1950 while working at the Flint Journal newspaper. This is where he met the love of his life, Mary Jane Hatch. Clarence was drafted into the Korean War. Clarence and Mary Jane were married on August 28, 1950 in Flint, Michigan before he was ordered to report for duty into the United States Army on October 4, 1950 at Fort Wayne, Detroit. While in the Army, Clarence served in the 114th Engineer Combat Battalion as a First Sergeant. Clarence and Mary Jane travelled to several bases within the United States during his time in the Army. He was honorably discharged in October 1952, after which Clarence and Mary Jane moved back to Flint, Michigan to establish their home. Clarence attended General Motor Institute (GMI) in Flint (now Kettering University) to complete his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. While working for General Motors, the auto company hired Professors from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to travel to Flint each week to provide an opportunity for their engineers to complete a Master’s Degree. Clarence took advantage of this and completed his Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering in 1971. To all who knew Clarence, to say he was a very proud UofM graduate is an understatement! Clarence and Mary Jane had three children, Craig, Kurt and Kelly, while living in Flint. In 1966, Clarence accepted a job with Federal Mogul which moved the family to Coldwater, Michigan where they lived until 1973. Many lifelong friends and happy memories were made while living in Coldwater.

While working for Federal Mogul, Clarence was given the opportunity to design, build and run a new state-of-the-art Distribution Center in Jacksonville, Alabama. Truly a dream for an Engineer, and it is still in operation to this day. Clarence’s career took Mary Jane and him to Northville, Michigan, Jacksonville, Alabama, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Clarence was recruited in 1979 by Rockwell International which lead to a move to Tustin, California. A few years later, he went to work for the Santa Ana School District which was a job he enjoyed until his retirement in 1997. Clarence and Mary Jane loved their life in sunny Southern California. They loved spending time with their grandchildren and attending their many events, the annual family summer vacation at the beach, spending time with their neighbors, and hosting friends who came to visit. After Clarence’s retirement, they travelled to Michigan every fall to stay with Kurt and Renee for a month as they visited family and friends, and also to participate in UofM tailgating and home football games hosted by their dear friends, Ron and Rich Smith. They lived in Tustin from 1979 until Mary Jane passed away in 2014, and Clarence until March 2020 when he moved to live with Kurt and Renee in Michigan. In Tustin, Clarence was very involved in the Aldersgate Methodist Church, the American Legion Post 227, and looked forward to monthly luncheons with friends who affectionately called themselves the “Old Farts.” Clarence enjoyed golf and everything related to the University of Michigan, especially Michigan football - Go Blue! Clarence is survived by his children, Craig (Aimee) Darrow, Kurt (Renee) Darrow and Kelly (Kirk) Weakly; 5 grandchildren, Kerri (Jason) Newman, Kaley (Eddie) Orozco, Kyle (Kailey) Weakly,

Kelsey Weakly, and Kaleb Darrow; and 3 great grandchildren, Aubrie Orozco, Grayson Orozco, and Wilder Newman, and nieces Lynn Roberts and Diane Gaffney, and nephew Guy Merritt. Clarence is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 64 years, Mary Jane Darrow, his parents, his sisters Joyce Gaffney and Arloine (Ollie) Merritt, and their husbands, and nephew Tim Gaffney. Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, October 2nd at 11am at Aldersgate Methodist Church, 1201 Irvine Blvd, Tustin, California 92780. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Aldersgate Methodist Church, 1201 Irvine Blvd, Tustin, CA 92780 or Tustin American Legion VEAP, 360 East First Street, Box 475, Tustin, CA 92780-3211 where the funds will help their Veterans Emergency Assistance Program (VEAP), would be appreciated. Online condolences and special memories may be shared with family by visiting the obituary page at www.saddlebackchapel.com

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