Elaine Clingman's Obituary
CLINGMAN, Elaine Rose, age 87, of Dayton, passed away Monday, January 29, 2024, at Bethany Village in Dayton.
Elaine worked for years as a store manager, buyer, and operations manager for women specialty stores Donenfeld’s, and Thal’s in Dayton. She then joined the mission of St. Mary’s Development Corp to provide senior housing as the building manager for Twin Towers Place in Dayton. She officially retired after ten years of service, mainly to babysit her grandchildren. She also volunteered for many years at the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry at St. Mary’s Church and was a lifetime member of the Dayton Catholic Women’s Club. She was formerly a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dayton, and more recently, she attended St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Centerville.
Independent, talkative, caring, and family-oriented, Elaine was classy, a proper lady, and always dressed to the nines whenever she left the house. Through her work at Donenfeld’s, Elaine traveled to New York City five times a year to pick up the latest trends and to buy merchandise for the store to sell. Her hobbies included reading and hiking. She especially enjoyed reading mysteries and love story literature. She liked to visit the parks and trails where her son worked. The trails at Houston Woods also became a favorite of Elaine. She enjoyed a family tradition of traveling to Alpena, Michigan, each July for a week of swimming, fishing, and family-cooked meals at rustic cabins by the lake. The tradition started with her husband’s family but resulted in Elaine and her siblings and all their families joining for nearly 70 years. The children will also remember fondly the tradition of attending Christmas Eve services at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with their mother when they were growing up.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald, in 2013; her parents, Linus and Leona Wildenhaus; Elaine’s sister, Sister Rose Helene Wildenhaus; her brother-in-law, Dave Nellis; and Sister-in-law Lois Clingman. She is survived by her son, Chris (Suzanne) Clingman; daughter, Cathy (Mike) Cable; four grandchildren, Alexis, Theron, Audrey, and Andrea; three brothers, Tom (Claudia) Wildenhaus, Bob (Mary) Wildenhaus, and Ed (Colleen) Wildenhaus; two sisters, Connie Wildenhaus and Pat Nellis; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM Monday, February 5, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Centerville. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Dayton. Father Brian Phelps will be officiating the services. The family will receive friends 5 -8 PM, with Rosary at 7:30 PM, Sunday, February 4, at Conner & Koch Funeral Home in Bellbrook. If desired, contributions may be made toward any of the many charities Elaine supported over the years - cancer research, churches and religious affiliations, local parks, etc. Condolences at www.connerandkoch.com.
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