Clair Brenneman was born Feb. 16, 1936, the son of Ora and Gertrude (Yoder) Brenneman. Both parents passed while Clair was young. He was raised and cared for by his sisters, Nita and Audrey, and brother, Lowell, near Wellman, Iowa. Additional support came from Nita’s husband, John Erb, Audrey’s husband, Wayne Miller, and Lowell’s wife, Lucille. Together they formed a unique, beautiful family. Hard work, love, compassion and laughter became the framework that Clair built his life around.
When Clair became a man, he went away to serve the Mennonite church in Paraguay. While there, he lost two fingers. While serving, Clair became engrossed with adventure and his world widened. He married his beautiful, caring wife, Faye Gingerich, and their new life together took them to Nigeria, Africa, where they raised their daughter, Jina, and gave birth to a son, Randy. They later served in Costa Rica and Indonesia.
While travel was a big part of Clair’s life, Palmer Lake, Colorado, became home. There, he was business manager of Frontier Boys Village. Later, he was a successful business owner, managing an earth moving business and storage units. Clair built a house for his family and restored countless John Deer tractors. He was active in the local Mennonite church.
Clair and Faye became loving grandparents to Jina’s children: Jordan, Devin, Riley, and Nate. He laughed, cried, and played with them. They loved their Grandpa dearly.
Clair passed away Feb. 25, 2023. Honest, kind, empathetic, and strong, he was laid to rest in a field surrounded by family, overlooking the mountains and the town that he loved. Memorial services were held on April 15, 2023, at Mountain Community Mennonite Church in Palmer Lake. The mailing address for Faye Brenneman is Box 552, Palmer Lake, CO 80133.
