Alfred Burton Clair Sr

Alfred Burton Clair Sr., 93, a man of faith, as well as a loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, and uncle, passed away Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

Alfred was born Saturday, May 31, 1930, to the late Elmer and Anna (Kaylor) Clair in Akron, Ohio.  He called many places home over his lifetime - Akron, Ohio; Portsmouth, Virginia; Athens, Georgia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; back to Akron, Ohio; Elkhorn & Omaha, Nebraska; his last two plus years in Massillon, Ohio. 

In addition to his parents, Alfred was preceded in death by his first wife, Lena Clair, second wife, Rosemary Clair, son, Alfred B Clair, Jr., daughter, Cynthia “Cindy” Clair, and stepdaughter, Robin Wuster. He is survived by his son, Gary (Cindy) Clair; daughter, Nancy (Matt) Kovack; stepdaughters, Nancy (Jim) Stillmunks, Becky Grell, Sue (Rick) Sandhoefner; stepson, Steve (Cherri) Brown; daughter-in-law, JoAnn Clair; and many other loving family and friends.

Although he was too young to serve in WWII, that didn’t stop him from trying to enlist at 15. And a few years later, He proudly served in the US Army and saw combat in the Korean War. Receiving a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and, more importantly, the lifelong friendship of the many he served with.

Throughout his life, Dad was fortunate enough to experience the joy of love and marriage twice. He believed in the power of blended families and embraced his role as a husband, father, and stepfather with open arms. He fostered an environment of love, acceptance, and unity, creating a strong bond that transcended bloodlines and brought people together.

Al’s career path certainly crossed traditional boundaries.  By day, he was a hardworking industrial supervisor but, by night & never a guy to sit on the couch, always had a full second career of creating and building things.  Once he was shopping for a new camper at a local dealer & was so shocked by the price, he decided to build a better-quality camper in our driveway.  (It was the 60’s and you could do that.) The campers were so popular, and he ended up selling and building 3 more!  

In the 70’s he worked full-time as an industrial supervisor at Massey Ferguson and on evenings and weekends began building Twin Hills Park Campground, complete a manmade lake.  Twin Hills Park was at first a part-time, weekend job. Employing many Massey volunteers, although to be fair, many claimed they volunteered because of Lena’s meatballs.

Now, as fate would have it, at the end of the decade Massey moved out of Ohio.

Running the Twin Hills Park then became fulltime and was a perfect career change for a man who loved engineering, building, and creating things.   The campground (now owned by others) was and still is very successful.

One of Dad's proudest accomplishments was his sobriety. His journey in sobriety also coincided with the creation of Twin Hills Park. For an astounding 51 years, he remained steadfast in his commitment to living a clean and sober life. His strength and determination inspired all who knew him and offered hope to those struggling with addiction.

Even years later, after moving back to Ohio, he still faithfully attended Monday night Plain Label Zoom meetings with his Omaha AA brothers and sisters.

How lucky and charmed to see 93! His life was fully ventured. Whether supervising at the Massey plant or sailing the Atlantic.  Al enjoyed them equally and was always more than willing to relate a story or two about his many adventures.

93 years is an achievement, not a reason to mourn.

Visitation will be Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Bacher-Moore Funeral Home (Portage Lakes), 3326 Manchester Road, Akron, Ohio 44319. Funeral Service will be 11:00 am, Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at the Funeral Home, with Pastor David Koch Officiating. Alfred's final resting place will be Greenlawn Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to the Breast Cancer Society of America,  P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741, or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 22324, New York, NY 10087.