Clare Delmar Henness

Gates- Clare D. Henness was born on June 14, 1928 on Kings Prairie, near Gates, Oregon. He was proud to be a member of the oldest family in the Kings Prairie area, being the great grandson of Thomas J. Henness and Jane (Stout) Henness who settled there in 1864 after traveling the Oregon Trail in 1852 intent of establishing a homestead. Clare was to grow up in the Gates area and live his life there until poor health required him to move to Salem. While attending Gates High School, he met Norma Blackburn who had recently moved with her family from Oklahoma. They started dating, which often included riding double on Clare’s horse, Patches, and upon Clare’s graduation from high school in 1947, he and Norma were married on June 27. Since Clare was only 18 and the legal age to marry was 21, Clare’s mother had to give her permission for the union. Clare and Norma were to be married for almost 73 years before Norma died only 80 days before Clare. They often talked about how blessed they were to have their three children, Kandee, Gary and Susan, all who were honor students and college graduates. Coming from a family of loggers, it was only natural that Clare would be drawn to this line of work as well, especially since it allowed Clare to be outdoors which he loved. After working for several logging companies, in 1968 Clare and Norma went out on their own and established Henness Logging, Inc. which became a thriving business. Clare was especially pleased to log for Frank Lumber Company for many years, beginning in 1970 and, rather than have the logging checks mailed, he enjoyed picking them up at the Frank Lumber office where he could have a nice visit with the office staff. An equal partner, Norma handled all the bookkeeping for the company. In 1992  Clare and Norma turned the reins of the business over to their son, Gary, and his wife, Shelly, but Clare kept his hand in the business by running for parts, mixing chainsaw gas and helping with logging equipment repairs. Even with all of this work, he especially enjoyed working on the family farm and tending to his much-loved horses, but he was the happiest when it was haying time. While Clare saw working on the farm as recreation, he did so appreciate the many deer, elk and pheasant hunting trips he was able to take over the years with family and friends. Later in life and when the logging operation was shut down during the winter, Clare and Norma  enjoyed traveling, both in the United States and internationally. This travel included multiple trips to Bransom, Missouri. Even with his time-consuming work schedule, Clare found time to give back to his community. He was a Mason, a life-long member and supporter of the Gates Community Church of Christ and spent 18 years on the Mill City-Gates school board. He was especially pleased that he was able to personally present each of his children with their diplomas. Even with his business, Mason, church and school board commitments, he found time to donate his Caterpillar driving skills to help non-profits clear and level land all over the Gates and Mill City areas. Then, after his retirement, he and his friend, Lloyd White, spent several hours each weekday morning splitting and cutting wood that they would then deliver and stack for widows and people who could not afford to purchase wood. The biggest part of Clare Henness was his heart. Clare Henness died on July 11, 2020 in Salem, Oregon. He was preceded in death by his wife, Norma, his parents, Glen and Lola Henness and his brothers, Keith and Earle. He is survived by his children, Kandee (Mike) McClain, Gary (Shelly) Henness, Susan (Bill Muir) Henness, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.A graveside service will take place at Fairview Cemetery in Gates, Oregon on July 25, 2020 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those who wish to make a donation in Clare’s memory to the Santiam High School scholarship fund, PO Box 197, Mill City, Oregon 97360 or to the charity of your choice.