Obituary: Clute, Bert D.
Age 94
He died peacefully of natural causes surrounded by his loving family.
Bert was born October 7, 1920 to Bert Darwin and Elizabeth Staples Clute in Enning South Dakota.
He was the sixth of 11 children.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Doris Armour, on June 22, 1942.
Bert attained an eigth grade education which was all that was available at that time to the children of Enning.
When Bert was 17 he left the family farm and went to work at a Civilian Conservation Corps for $30 per month.
He sent $25 home each month and lived on the remaining $5.
When WWII began, Bert joined the Army.
He was proud of his service to his country.
After the war, he followed some of his siblings to Spokane where he was able to get a job with Kaiser Aluminum as a crane operator.
He was always looking for ways to provide a better life for his family.
In addition to working at Kaiser, he and Doris owned a neighborhood grocery store, Clute’s Grocery.
Later, he began buying and remodeling apartment houses in the Brown’s addition.
These endeavors lead him to investing in real estate and eventually becoming a successful private investor.
He always said he got his business sense from playing Monopoly.
Bert and Doris loved to square dance, bowl, and play Pinochle.
He also shot a mean game of pool.
Bert and Doris had three children, Delbert G. Clute (Jeri), Judy M. Clute Jordan, and Dick L. Clute (Loa).
Judy passed away at the age of 47 after a courageous battle with leukemia.
Bert was so grateful that he and Doris were able to support Judy throughout her illness and spend precious time with her.
Bert is survived by his sons, 10 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and his “Little Angel” Toby, the cat.
Bert will forever be remembered for his positive attitude, friendly manner, and generosity to his family, friends, and those he “touched” during his life on this earth.
The family wishes to thank Hospice of Spokane and the staff at Brookdale of Northpointe for the wonderful care and kindness they gave to Bert and the whole family.
A viewing will be held on Monday, June 15th, 2015 at 10:00am at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home, 1306 N. Monroe, Spokane, WA.
Funeral services will follow at 11:00am.
Online tributes and condolences may be sent online to http://www.hazenjaeger.net.