Clarence Dwight Venell

Clarence Dwight Venell was born December 7, 1927 in York, Nebraska to Leonard Nels Venell and Effie Belle (Bridge) Venell. He passed from earth to his Savior’s waiting arms on September 17, 2022 at home in Corvallis, OR surrounded by his loving family. Clarence was a long-time member of Zion Lutheran Church and his faith was an integral part of his life. In 1941, due to the drought and depression in Nebraska, Clarence moved with his parents via train and an immigrant car, which contained all their belongings, and settled in Corvallis, OR. His parents were farmers in Nebraska and he began farming on his own while still in high school. He started with the 40 acres his parents had rented and eventually expanded his acreage to 150 by the time he graduated from Corvallis High School in 1945. He continued to expand his farming operations each year and met his future bride, Rosetta Claudine Brandt, at a church youth rally in 1954. They were married on June 7, 1957 at Zion Lutheran Church in Corvallis, OR. Clarence purchased his first property of 340 acres in 1957. This became their home place and the start of his and Rosetta’s lifelong farming operations which expanded throughout the years. Clarence and Rosetta have two children, Larry Edward and Beverlee Elaine. In addition to his passionate dedication to agriculture, Clarence was an avid pilot. He earned his pilot’s license at age 18 and logged over 10,000 hours of flight time. He would take his family and fly them for extended weekends to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, Canada and many more destinations. He loved farming and watching his fields grow and would spend many enjoyable hours in his 1956 Piper Super Cub observing and monitoring fields from the air to determine when to harvest. He was extremely innovative and designed and built, or modified to be more effective, many pieces of farm equipment. He is survived by his loving wife Rosetta, son Larry (Pam), and daughter Beverlee Stilwell (Jerry); four grandchildren, Chris Venell (Stephanie), Michelle Pope (Andrew), Sarah Licciardello (Ben), and John Venell; seven great grandchildren, Klair, Dally Jo, and Kate Venell, Ainslie Pope, Joc, Cru and Vin Licciardello. The family would like to express their deep gratitude to the nurses and staff at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice in Albany, OR who provided care and guidance to the family as Clarence spent his final days at home cared for by his loving family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his name to Samaritan Evergreen Hospice, 1046 SW 6th Ave, Albany, OR 97321 or to Zion Lutheran Church, 2745 NW Harrison Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97330. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, October 1, at 1:30pm, at Zion Lutheran Church, Corvallis, OR 97330.

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Clarence Dwight Venell

December 7, 1927 - September 17, 2022