Clarence William Miedema

Clarence William Miedema, age 98, of Bourbonnais passed away Tuesday, June 18, 2024. He was born on May 15, 1926 in Chicago, the son of William & Grace (Osenga) Miedema. Clarence was raised in Mt. Greenwood, IL. He graduated from Tilden Tech in Chicago. Clarence was a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps (Air Force) during WWII, enlisting in 1943 and was honorably discharged in 1946. After returning from service, he moved to Momence where his parents had relocated. Clarence farmed with his father for a while. He met his wife, Shirley Powles and they were married on October 22, 1948. She preceded him in death on July 12, 2007. Clarence went to work for Public Service Co. (ComEd) as a lineman. He also worked in the tree trimming department and then the Engineering Department, retiring in 1988 after 37 ½ years of service. Clarence and Shirley loved to travel and after retiring built a home in Florida in 2004. He enjoyed fishing and boating. Clarence was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, listening on the radio with his mother and then watching all the games on TV. He was also a Chicago Bears fan and enjoyed watching college football and basketball games. Clarence sang with a boys’ choir in Mt. Greenwood and later with the choir and quartet at the First Reformed Church of Wichert where he and Shirley resided before moving to Bourbonnais. He also sang in the choir at Holiday Travel Resort in Florida. Clarence renewed an acquaintance with Catherine Sederstrand-Bergan and they were married January 11, 2010. Clarence was a member of College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais. Surviving are two daughters, Cristie (Randy) Hendricks of Kissimmee, FL and Nadine Stith of Kankakee; his wife, Cathie Miedema of Bourbonnais; one stepdaughter, Christine Bergan (Mary Jo Nowak) of Madison, WI; grandchildren, Angi (Don) Shearer of Henderson, NV, Misty (Adam) Bowers of Pendleton, IN, Allison (Justin) Watford of St. Anne, Jennifer (Dan) Douglas of Bourbonnais, and Elizabeth (Ben) Koven of Bonner Springs, KS; great-grandchildren, MaKayla (Hayden) George, Cade Shearer, Mariah Shearer, Madison Bowers, Abby Bowers, Preston Watford, Hailey Watford, Trevor Watford, Alexis Douglas, Brayden Douglas, Olivia Douglas, Brigham Douglas, Neil Koven, and Noah Koven; brothers-in-law, Mike (Ronda) Mulligan and family and Jim Mulligan; one sister-in-law, Carol Sederstrand and family; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to his first wife, Shirley Miedema, Clarence is preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Eleanor Voss; and one brother-in-law, John “Jack” Sederstrand. Visitation will be held from 10:30 a.m. until the time of the 11:30 a.m. funeral service on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home in Bourbonnais. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Wichert. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the College Church of the Nazarene, Olivet Nazarene University Scholarship Fund, or Uplifted Care.

Clarence William Miedema

May 15, 1926 - June 18, 2024