CLARENCE BOHLANDER

Clarence Bohlander, age 82, of Sugar Grove, IL, passed away surrounded by the love and prayers of his family, Friday, October 20, 2023. He was born in Herried, SD, to loving parents, Edward and Mary Bohlander. Clarence grew up Herried on the family farm and attended local schools. He graduated from Selby High School with the class of 1960. He continued his education at South Dakota State University.  During that time he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Upon his honorable discharge, Clarence returned to civilian life and finished his bachelor’s degree before working for the government as a math teacher at the Flandreau Indian School. Betty McIlravy attended a convention with a friend, and it just so happened to be close enough for her friends brother to stop by and say hello. Clarence caught her eye and eventually her heart. They walked side by side and heart to heart down the aisle on August 21, 1971. They began their new life together in Flandreau where they both continued to teach on the reservation. They moved to Illinois in the mid-1970’s and settled in Aurora. Later they would move and make a home in Sugar Grove in 1977. After contacting the FAA, Clarence found work as a support engineer and would spend the next 24 years diligently making a name for himself before retiring in 1998. Clarence was notoriously “economical” but would make exceptions occasionally and treat himself and his family. His eye for detail was phenomenal and his home was a showplace of cleanliness and order. Clarence also got his hands dirty in the garden and grew every vegetable and fruit under the sun. He had a passion for  computers and in earlier years he took every class he could to keep up to date with the latest developments at the time. Clarence followed the stock market closely and kept the pulse of the political scene and world affairs. He was not one to travel but when he did, it was to visit family or to board a cruise ship to his favorite destinations alongside his loving wife.  A dutiful father and devoted husband, Clarnece will be remembered for generations. He is survived by his wife, Betty Bohlander; his son Adam (Claire Rasmussen) Bohlander and their children, Eleanor and William; three brothers: Wilmer (Katie) Bohlander, Eddie Bohlander and Vern Bohlander; one sister, Lanette (Mike) Morgan; several nieces, nephews, cousins and a family of friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Mary Bohlander; one brother Lester in infancy, two sisters and their spouses; Virginia and her husband LuVerne Berreth and Arlene and her husband Tilmer Kuehl; and two sisters-in-law, Marilyn Bohlander and Carol Bohlander. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 11 a.m. at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL. Private family burial will follow at a later date.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Alzheimer’s Association: https://act.alz.org. Memories tributes may be left on the Conley Funeral Home Facebook Page, or at www.conleycare.com.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 11 a.m. at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL. Private family burial will follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Alzheimer’s Association: https://act.alz.org. Memories tributes may be left on the Conley Funeral Home Facebook Page, or at www.conleycare.com.