John Robert “Bob” Clements peacefully passed away on March 31, 2025, at the age of 76 at Lakeview Health Center in West Salem, Wis.
Bob was born March 25, 1949, to John E. and Beulah (Swanson) Clements and grew up in Cashton, Wis. After graduating from Cashton High School, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating with a civil engineering degree, but his true passion was business. An energetic and talented entrepreneur, Bob was managing the accounting books for his father’s construction business from a young age and demonstrated an intuitive understanding of business with a real knack for marketing and real estate.
He first met his wife, Barbara J. Hutchison of neighboring Ontario, in 1966, when he gave her mother Carol Hutchison — who was his high school English teacher — a ride home after her car broke down. Barb and Bob married July 17, 1970, on a sweltering summer day at tiny Brush Creek Lutheran Church in rural Ontario, Wis. They raised two daughters in Cashton and six Old English Sheepdogs over the course of nearly 55 years of marriage. Bob was frequently seen driving around rural Wisconsin with a sheepdog hanging its shaggy head out the window of his “PETLIMO” license-plated SUV, and in later years, walking energetically and occasionally being walked energetically by the family sheepdog on daily outings.
Bob enjoyed golf, skiing, fast cars and traveling. A lifelong Wisconsin Badger sports fan, he relished his regular trips to Madison and remained a loyal season ticketholder from the dismal 1970s through to the Rose Bowl eras of Wisconsin football. Less well-known, Bob loved music, serenading his daughters to bed to the tune “Goodnight, Irene” and introducing multiple generations to his favorite John Prine albums, singing along with an impressive deep bass voice.
Bob is deeply missed by his wife, Barbara Clements of Cashton; his daughters Aimee (Kepler) Davis of Evans, Ga., and Rebecca Clements of London, United Kingdom; his sisters, Jane and Christine (William Drago) Clements; his brother, James (Gail) Clements; three grandchildren, William, Andrew and Elizabeth Davis; family sheepdog, Georgie; and many relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Beulah Clements; his beloved aunt, Beverly Swanson; his father- and mother-in-law, Daniel and Carol Hutchison; his sister, Cathleen Clements; his sisters-in-law Susan Hutchison and Kristine Curtis; and his brother-in-law, Dan Hutchison.
The family would like to thank the staffs of Gundersen Memory Care Unit in La Crosse and Lakeview Health Center for their skilled care in recent months, as well as family friend Kim Erickson for her steadfast support, humor and kindness to Bob and his family.
A service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Torkelson Funeral Home in Cashton, Wis. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes cards and memorials donated to the Alzheimer’s Association or the American Humane Society.
