Clemons, Cecil

CLEMONS, Cecil

Cecil Russell Clemons (born April 10, 1934) died peacefully in her home in Hendersonville, NC on December 23, 2022. Her husband of 65 years, Col. Joseph Gordon Clemons Jr., preceded her in death in 2018.

Cecil was born in Charlotte NC, the third of five children and was known as a deeply feeling person. She had an astute ability to measure the world and its flaws. She built her life on her positive, caring spirit and became loved by everyone who knew her.

In 1951, at eighteen, she married Joseph Gordon Clemons Jr. shortly before he was sent to the Korean War. Upon his return, he and Cecil spent a colorful time in Hollywood while Joe was the technical advisor for the movie Pork Chop Hill. They traveled extensively, sailed their 44-foot yawl from San Diego to Hawaii, to Tahiti, and cruised the outer islands. Cecil embraced the cultural richness and natural beauty of island life through her lifestyle, culinary skills, and love of entertaining.

In midlife, Cecil took possession of her dreams and became a professional artist. Her paintings are fresh, color-drenched, evocative, and whimsical. A bit of visual storytelling slips in; sometimes a bit of humor. Her work has been shown in spaces that include Asheville Art Gallery, North Carolina Museum of Art, Kudzu Antiques in Atlanta, and shows in Raleigh NC and Abingdon VA. She is represented in various private collections.

Retiring in Hendersonville created a rich new life, including friendships acquired through St. James Episcopal Church. Cecil cherished her Dream Group, her Art Group and "The Garter Girls." Through the years, Cecil trained and showed standard poodles and annual trips to the Russell family reunion were an integral part of her life.

Cecil is survived by her children, Michael Joseph Clemons of Macon, GA, Susannah Russell Kalei Clemons of Kaneohe, HI, and Joseph Gordon Clemons III and wife Elizabeth, of Luxembourg; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren; her sister, Ina Russell of Loveland, CO; her brother, Pierre Russell and wife Kim of Decatur, GA; and her well-loved cousin, Virginia Russell of Statesboro, GA.

Cecil will be interred next to her husband, Joe, in the Russell Family Cemetery in Winder, GA on June 22, 2023. She joins her parents, Walter and Dorothea Russell; and two siblings, Emily Russell Campbell of Atlanta, and Lt. Col. Walter B. Russell of Stone Mountain, GA; and her uncle, U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell; along with other loved and remembered family members.

Arrangements are in the care of Shuler Funeral Home.

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Funeral Home Information

Shuler Funeral Home

125 Orr's Camp Rd

Hendersonville, NC