Clarence “Junior” Gay
Clarence “Junior” Gay
Clarence “Junior” Gay
Oskaloosa. Clarence Gay, Jr., 94, of Oskaloosa died Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at the MHP Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa. He was born December 1, 1929, in Mahaska County, the son of Clarence Sr. and Iva Lott Gay. He attended country school in Mahaska County. Upon finishing his last day of school, he ran home and immediately jumped on the tractor to start planting corn with his dad. On January 1, 1952, he was united in marriage to Lois M. Tish at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. To this union three children were born, Edwin, Debbie, and Neisha. Junior continued to farm with his father in the Wright and Rose Hill neighborhood for the next 40 plus years. In addition to farming Junior was an electrician. He helped many neighbors, friends, family, and customers over the years. He also served as the electrician at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds for many years. Upon retirement from farming, Junior and Lois moved into Oskaloosa. Junior was not one to sit around the house, so he went work as the maintenance man at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds and worked as a mechanic for Gary and Bob Herr at Herr Brothers equipment. In 2001, he retired from working to devote his time to caring for his wife, Lois until her death on October 23, 2002. Junior was a lifelong collector of anything IH Red, in early 2003 his collecting advanced from toy tractors and advertising trinkets to full size antique tractors. He went back to work at Herr Brothers and when he wasn’t helping on a project in the shop, he would move to “his” corner of the shop where he typically had a tractor in pieces for restoration. He restored fifteen antique tractors before he hung up his paint gun and parts. For Junior restoring the tractor was half of the fun, the other half was taking them to tractor shows and antique tractor rides and enjoying the comradery with fellow IH enthusiasts. In his younger days he was a member of 4-H, and he and Lois served as 4-H leaders when their children were a part of 4-H. The two of them also enjoyed square dancing and calling square dances for many years. They always looked forward to evenings with the neighborhood card club. In addition to serving as the maintenance man and electrician at the fairgrounds he also served many years on the Southern Iowa Fair Board. Most of all he loved spending time with his family.
His family includes his three children, Edwin (Cindy) Gay of Marshalltown, Debbie Shannon (Bruce) of Eldridge, and Neisha Lawson of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; three grandsons, Kelly (Karyn) Green, Jeremiah (Bri) Lawson, and Aaron (Cortney) Gay; six great grandchildren, Kyanna, Kolsyn, Camber, Lyla, Bentley, and Weston; and sisters-in-law, Pat Tish, Janice Tish and Helen Edmundson; brother-in-law, Roger Edmundson, and many extended family members.
In addition to his wife Lois, Junior was preceded in death by his parents; two sons-in-law, Bill Lawson and Dennis Shannon; and brothers- in-law, Marvin Tish, Keith Tish, and Arlo Tish and sister-in-law, Verla Tish.
Funeral services will be held Monday, June 10, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in the Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa with Reverend Molly Goodrich officiating. Burial will be in the Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation will begin Sunday, June 9, 2024, after 10:00 a.m. in the Bates Funeral Chapel and the family will be at the funeral chapel from 1-3 Sunday afternoon to greet friends and relatives. Memorials may be made to the family for a bench in the Antique Tractor area at the Southern Iowa Fair grounds or MHP Hospice Serenity House.
