Clyde Slemmer

Clyde Lynn Slemmer, 84, finished his race on earth and was embraced in the arms of his Heavenly Father on January 30, 2021. Following a brief bout with pneumonia, he passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side and heard the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Clyde was born on November 12, 1936, in Wichita, KS, to Frank and Evelyn (Davis) Slemmer, the second of four children, and spent most of his childhood years in Spokane, WA. At the age of seven, he lost his mother to Hodgkin’s Disease. From a young age he learned the value of hard work, taking on paper routes and other jobs to help with family expenses. In 1954, Clyde went to Northwest Nazarene College where he attended for one semester, but limited finances led him to return home to complete a degree in civil engineering at Gonzaga University. On July 2, 1960, Clyde married Orrene Kay Maurer, the love of his life. Shortly after, they moved to Olympia, WA, where Clyde started working for the Washington State Department of Transportation. In 1968, Clyde took a brief leave from his work at WSDOT to start building travel trailers under the name Sportscraft with his brother-in-law Bob Helstrom. He returned to WSDOT the following year to complete a 30-year career where he served in Bridge Design and Maintenance, Soils and Materials, Maintenance, Location Design, Marine Project Development, and State Project Development. At the time of his retirement in 1989, Clyde was one of the top leaders in WSDOT. He was a creative thinker and was characterized as an “idea man with no equal.” Following his retirement, Clyde and Orrene launched Engineering Management Services, a consulting firm that provided engineering management, value engineering, and engineering training services that helped shape highway and bridge design for 26 years throughout the U.S., but primarily in Washington and Texas. In 2003, Clyde and Orrene purchased a second home in Sun City, AZ, and became “snowbirds” spending summers in Olympia and winters in Arizona. Clyde and Orrene were blessed with two sons, Duane and Leroy. He was a devoted dad who was very proud of his sons. Clyde poured his life into their lives and was their biggest fan. Whether it was going on family motorhome trips, coaching Little League baseball teams, going on fishing trips, hiking on Mt. Rainier, taking father-son motorcycle rides, attending ballgames and watching sports on tv, or building houses together, he was always present for them and was a special part of their lives. Clyde was a devoted churchman who loved God. He was a skilled guitar player and enjoyed playing and singing at church. While never formally trained in the Bible, he was an Old Testament scholar and a popular adult Sunday School teacher in the Olympia Church of the Nazarene. Clyde also served faithfully on the church board for many years. Clyde successfully fought his own battle with Hodgkin’s Disease in 1983, but the lingering effects of the chemotherapy caused many other physical challenges in the years to come. He was a true overcomer and never let his physical shortcomings rob him of his joy for life in his later years. Clyde was an avid sports fan who followed Gonzaga basketball and all Seattle sports teams. Clyde was a kind man who was well-liked and highly respected by everyone he met. He loved his family very much and holds a special place in each of their hearts. Clyde is survived by Orrene, his wife of 60 years; son and daughter-in-law, Duane and Terri (Perkins) Slemmer of Nampa, ID, and their children Tiffany (Preston) Free, Daniel (Karlie), Torie (Luke) Vaartstra, David, Devin, Terin, and Derek; and son and daughter-in-law Leroy and Jennifer (Simmons) Slemmer of Olympia, WA, and their children Erica, Ryan, Nathan, and Amanda. He is also survived by his siblings, Howard (Loretta) Slemmer of Spokane, WA; Glenn Slemmer of Seattle, WA, and Marilyn (Ken) Olson of Eugene, OR. A celebration of his life will be held this summer in Olympia at a yet to be determined time and location. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts may be given to the Clyde and Orrene Slemmer Scholarship Fund at Northwest Nazarene University, 623 S. University Blvd., Nampa, ID 83686, or contact the NNU University Advancement Office at (208)467-8423 or advancement@nnu.edu.