March 20, 1936-December 26, 2024
Gerald O’Neal “Tom” Clemens died Thursday, December 26, 2024, in Salem, Virginia after a brief illness.
Born in Prices Fork, Va., Tom attended Prices Fork Elementary School. He excelled in all subjects resulting in him skipping two grades. In high school, he was a letterman in basketball, baseball and track, graduating at 16-years-old. His undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech included serving in the Corps of Cadets, followed by active duty in the United States Army, where he ultimately attained the rank of Colonel. Tom passed the Bar Exam early, after his second year of law school, and received his Juris Doctor from Washington & Lee University School of Law in 1960. He met the love of his life, Patricia Lugar, while working as the first clerk for The Honorable Ted Dalton in the U. S. District Court, Western District of Virginia. Pat was working for the Radford City Manager, and they married later that year. Together they travelled to Chicago where Tom received his Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Northwestern University on a Ford Foundation Fellowship.
Upon returning to Virginia in 1961, they settled in Salem where Tom joined the Kime & Jolly Law practice. Sagen Kime was a mentor to Tom as he served as City Attorney for Salem for many years. In 1979, Tom was appointed by the Virginia General Assembly to the General District Court and elevated to the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court bench in 1985, where he proudly served until retiring in 1997. Upon retirement he practiced with his son Chris at Clemens & Clemens in Salem, a time tremendously cherished by his law partner.
Tom’s law career wasn’t limited to the court system. For many years, he taught Business Law at Roanoke College. In the 80’s, he joined the Roanoke College Board of Trustees, serving as Secretary where he delighted in signing the diplomas of his sons and many of their friends.
He was a champion of Salem and its institutions, volunteering with the Jaycees and chairing the church council at College Lutheran Church. For years, Pat and he read and recorded local news stories and drove for the blind through WVTF Radio Reading Service.
Joined by his beloved wife Pat, Tom was deeply involved in his family’s life, overseeing homework, coaching little league, and supporting his children in their favorite activities. A win in the Father/Daughter Girl Scout bowling tournament in 1972 was the first of many accolades he garnered as a parent of three active kids. Coaches, teammates and friends of his children respected his athletic knowledge and were drawn to his easy manner and quiet leadership.
Tom loved his family. In the 70’s, he and Pat purchased a small cabin adjacent to his parents and brother Fred at Claytor Lake, providing endless fun and entertainment for everyone. He and Pat taught the kids to water-ski and build bonfires. Decades later he watched from the front porch as his grandchildren learned to swim, fish, ski and sail.
When they became empty-nesters, Tom and Pat frequented antique stores and flea markets in search of baseball cards, sports collectibles and political memorabilia. When the kids attended the Masters, Wimbledon, or the Olympics, Tom knew they would bring him an official program or souvenir for his collection. In addition to his athleticism and love for sports, Tom was the epitome of a good sport. The least competitive of his family, he was happy to cheer on everyone else, particularly his Hokies and the Atlanta Braves. His first loves were baseball and basketball, but he happily spent countless hours at all four grandsons’ soccer games, which he would claim frequently ended in a 1-0 score. He was proud of his grandsons’ academic and athletic achievements, saving hundreds of newspaper clipping of Allstars, District and Regional team honors, State Cup, Dean’s List, and teaching awards, as he had done for his children.
Tom’s quiet sense of humor was full of wit and love. He saw the joy in teasing his family and their friends, leaving lasting impressions on co-workers, neighbors and students. He was a lifelong reader and while on family vacations on Sanibel Island, he would devour a book in a day. First Robert Ludlum’s thrillers, then John Grisham’s legal tales, even the early Harry Potter books. He grinned as he balked at reading the fifth one saying “no book should be more than 800 pages.” A lover of sweet tea, he frequently shared with the grandkids, “there’s hot tea and cold tea, but the best tea is loyalty.”
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Clairmont Clemens and his brother, Fred Clemens. He is survived by Pat, his cherished wife of 64 years, and children Cindy (Marcy), Chris (Meg) and Charles (Whitney), four grandsons Luca, Christopher, Will and Grant, and his niece and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the WVTF Radio Reading Service (RRS) which provides readings from current newspapers to individuals who are vision-impaired. WVTF, 3520 Kingsbury Lane, Roanoke, Va 24104.
A memorial service to celebrate Tom’s life will be held on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., at College Lutheran Church in Salem.
