Obituary – Dewey Clemmons
Dewey Clemmons
MARIANNA, FL – Dewey Lee Clemmons, Jr., 91, passed away in Marianna on Dec. 25, 2023.
He was predeceased by his parents, Ruby Pelham and Dewey L. Clemmons, Sr.; his sisters, Linda, Juanita, and Hilda; and his son, Douglas and his first wife Margret. Dewey is survived by his son David and his second wife Talitha.
Dewey was a life-long learner, scientist, researcher, and father. He attended Blountstown High School and graduated in 1950. After graduation, he joined the Air Force, spending 18 months of his service in Germany during the Korean War. Following an honorable discharge, he attended Florida State University on the G.I. Bill. In 1957 he married Margret, whom he met at FSU, and graduated that same year with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Physics.
He joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Hampton, VA, out of college, and became head of ECHO 1 & 2 and the PAGEOS projects, over the next decade. He was awarded a U.S. Patent in 1965 for “Thermal Control of Space Vehicles,” which was applied to these satellite balloons (“sattelloons”), serving as humanity’s first passive telecommunications satellites, and the forerunners of today’s GPS.
He and Margret settled on the Chickahominy River in the early 60s, in Charles City County, VA, and raised two sons at the River’s Edge. Active in the community, Dewey was a member of the Ruritan Club and the United Methodist Church of Charles City, and assumed the leadership of the Association for Retarded Citizens in the early 1970s. Later that same decade, he and wife Margret transferred their membership to the United Methodist Church of Williamsburg, becoming long-time members of the Aldersgate Class.
While working at NASA, he received his MBA from George Washington University. In 1982, he retired, assuming responsibility for his aging parents in Florida during their final years.
In the mid-80s, he and Margret launched Clemmons Insurance Agency in Williamsburg, VA. He served homeowners in his beloved Charles City County and continued that work into the mid-90s. During that decade he began a serious quest to flesh out his family tree, tracing them back to Clemmons, NC, and prior to that, the colonial period.
He was remarried in 2002 to Talitha Milam and spent the last two decades of his life in a contemplative study of the world’s religions, fully seeing a better future for humanity as the integration of science and religion.
There will be a graveside service held 12:30 p.m.CT on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at Nettle Ridge Cemetery in Blountstown. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.
Adams Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be made at adamsfh.com.
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