OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Lewis James Clements Jr., 52, passed away on March 15, 2008, following a battle with cancer. He served the HVAC industry for 30 years, most recently working as a service technician in the Lake Okeechobee area.

His career started in 1975 while he was attending Florida State University in Tallahassee. He worked in a large sheet metal shop during late afternoons and evenings, attending classes during the day. Clements returned to Okeechobee in 1977 and worked for Southern Mechanical for several years, then briefly for Newman Air Conditioning.

In the mid-1980s, he worked with a new company, Quality Air Conditioning and Heating of Okeechobee. “The owners, employees, and customers of Quality Air Conditioning have lost a true friend and a technician’s technician,” stated owner Bud Neese. “To say that the industry around the lake area has lost a legend is an understatement.”

Clements had been a lifetime resident of Okeechobee and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He is survived by his wife, Jessina; mother Helen Clements; son Leeth and daughter Jeraka; brothers Ivan (Annie), and Russell; and sister Cindy Douglas.

Publication date: 05/12/2008