Obituary of Catherine Florence Harris Clements

A Life Well Lived We are celebrating the life of Catherine, who went to be with her Lord on April 2, 2014. Catherine was born into a loving home in Witt, Virginia, and raised in Danville, Virginia. She was the daughter of Thomas Percy Harris and Sarah Florence Dove Harris. When she was 7 years old, her mother Florence died, and Catherine and her brother Douglas and sister Gladys Mildred were raised by her Aunt and Uncle, Mary and John Lipford. She graduated from George Washington High School, Class of 1941, in Danville.She met her husband, Thomas, in the youth group of her family church, Lee Street Baptist, when she was 15 years old. They were married for 65 years and lived in Arlington, Virginia. Catherine lived her life as a homemaker, and also worked outside her home as a legal secretary, a telephone operator at the Pentagon during World War II, and later for the Navy Department- Naval Intelligence Division of Arlington. Catherine took great joy in being a member of Westover Baptist Church in Arlington for 67 years. She served as a Deacon, a Sunday School teacher, and on the kitchen committee, offering hospitality to all. Although she had an opportunity to travel extensively with her family throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia, she was never happier than when she was in her own home. Catherine filled her home with love and laughter, sharing her time and wisdom with all who needed her as a mother, grandmother and friend. She was predeceased by her husband, Samuel Thomas Clements, Jr. Survivors include her children Samuel, Jerry, Donald, and Janet; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Private services are planned. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Westover Baptist Church, 1125 Patrick Henry Drive, Arlington, Va 2205 or to Children Rising, Inc. (the Haiti Project), 252 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ 07002