Clarence John (CJ) Adams, age 102, of Dubuque, Iowa, passed away on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Bethany Home after a long life full of loving family and friends. He was born on July 3, 1922 on the family farm near Turkey River, Iowa, the ninth child of Mathias J and Catherine M. (Harasche) Adams into a family of seven girls and three boys.

Clarence graduated from Turkey River Grade School, a one-room country school,  in 1937 and from Guttenberg High School as co-valedictorian in 1942. He joined the Enlisted Army Reserve in 1942. After one semester on scholarship at Loras College, he reported for active duty at Camp Dodge. His forty months of service in World War II included twelve months in the Army Signal Corps electronic schools, nine months in the Army Specialized Training Program in basic engineering at St. Bonaventure College, Olean, New York and Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was assigned to the 193^rd Signal Repair Company four months prior to disembarking to the European Theater of Operations for fifteen months. On March 1, 1946, he was honorably discharged as a T-3 Sergeant Technician.

Clarence farmed near Millville, Iowa from 1946 to 1951; worked for Westinghouse, Metuchen, New Jersey from 1951 to 1954; owned and operated Adams TV Servicenter, Dyersville, Iowa from 1954 to 1960; worked in John Deere Experimental Engineering Test Section from 1960-1987 when he retired. He was a member of the United Auto Workers, Local 94, where he was Chairman of the organizing Committee from 1961 to 1973.  He served as the Steward Council Chairman for two years after they voted to join Local 94 and remained a loyal union member. In 1976 he ran for Congress in the Democratic Primary, but lost.

Clarence met Cathy Fisne when he was studying at Rutgers and she was attending St. Peter’s School of Nursing, New Brunswick, New Jersey in the Army cadet nurses training program and they fell in love. They were married in 1946 in Harvey, Illinois and had three daughters- Patti (Mike) Boardman, Box Elder, South Dakota; Val Adams (deceased), Dubuque, Iowa; and Trudi (Bob) Stauffacher, Monroe, Wisconsin. They were divorced in 1964 and their marriage was later annulled.

In 1980 CJ married Lucille Elaine Bennett Hird at Summit Congregational United Church of Christ, Dubuque, Iowa. They had thirty-four years of happy times with family and friends, playing golf, dominoes, and euchre; dining out with friends; managing their rental properties; driving around the country; and working at Summit Congregational where they were instrumental in building the new church. Elaine died at 89 on June 1, 2014.

Surviving family are: two daughters- Patti (Mike) Boardman, Box Elder, SD and Trudi (Bob) Stauffacher, Monroe, WI; eleven grandchildren- Nikki (Pat) Nuehring, Guttenberg, IA; Jason (Heather) Steger, Colesburg, IA; Erika (Shane) Dever, Cincinnati, OH; Paul Two Crow and Randy Talks, Box Elder, SD; Kate (Tim) Harle, Asbury, IA; Mike Knockel, Dubuque, IA; Kassie (Nathan) Keck, Clinton IA; Jenni (Jason) Galicinski, Cookeville, TN; Jacci Baker, Mt. Horeb, WI; Kent (Kelly) Stauffacher, Omro, WI; twenty-five great grandchildren-Payton and Max Nuehring, Brian Steger, Alexa and Grant Dever, Jake (Courtney) Harle, Lindsey (Quinn) McCullough, Kenzie Harle, Andrea and Ashley Knockel, Samantha, Andrew and Lainie Mueller, Anna, Micah, Matthew, Moriah, Samuel, Jeremiah, Sarah, Timothy, Joshua and Elizabeth Galicinski, and Kole and Kamryn Stauffacher; six great great grandchildren-Nova McClintek, Bentley, Callie, Lillie, Avery and Sylvee. CJ was preceded in death by his parents, ex-wife Cathy Falcone, wife Elaine, daughter Val and dear friend Ted Roepsch siblings-Dorothy Meyer, Agnes Adams, Lawrence Adams, Hilda Nolte, Arthur Adams, Leona Walters, Adeline Knapp, Elinor Pine and Teresa Moser, plus siblings in law- Art Meyer, Henry Nolte, Kenneth Walters, Lyle Knapp, John Spoden, Jim Pine, Virgil Moser, Ila Adams, Irene Adams and John Bennett.

The family wishes to send heartfelt thanks to the entire staff of Bethany Home for their kind, compassionate, patient, loving care of Dad and respectful, patient response and understanding to us. Thank you to the nurses and volunteers of Hospice East of Dubuque who brightened up Dad’s last few months with frequent visits giving care and joy. God bless you for your blessings to us.

Services will be held at Summit Congregational United Church of Christ on Saturday, June 7 with visitation from 9-11, funeral service from 11-12 and burial immediately after at Memorial Gardens. Memorials can be sent to Summit Congregational UCC at 2885 JFK Rd, Dubuque, IA 52002