Clarence King Died Here Saturday

Former Business Man and Farmer Had a Varied Background

Clarence C. King, farmer, business man and soil conservation enthusiast, died at Memorial Community Hospital last Saturday May 14th. He was 68 years old.

Mr. King was a man of varied interests and his life was filled with many activities. He farmed, operated a bowling alley, a dance hall, a golf course, restaurant, took an active part in the affairs of the Washington County fair when the stock car races were at their height, was a long-time member of the original board of the Papio Soil Conservation District and was active in Chamber of Commerce affairs.

He was born at Wellsville, Missouri on Christmas day, 1897. As a youth he participated in athletics of all types and he followed them with interest as he grew older. He graduated from High School at Wellsville and came to Nebraska, working on farms near Craig for two years. Then he started farming for himself west of Herman later moving to Blair. From 1925 to 1935 he sold automobiles, then purchased the Eat Shop, popular Blair restaurant. He built the business to the place that he bought hamburger by the ton to supply the demand for his famous hamburgers and malted milks.

During that time the depression of the ‘30s came on and it became his policy to provide a roll and a cup of coffee to anyone who came along who was without funds to eat – provided they would sweep the walk in front of the café. In those days unemployed men were riding the freights by the hundreds and often the men stood in line to get a turn at the broom to earn a cup of coffee and a roll. He never turned anyone down.

It was also during that time that he made an arrangement with his wife, Anna, who assisted in the café, that she could have all of the silver dollars received. The men around town found out about it and soon were all paying for their cups of coffee with silver dollars. Anna got the dollar and Clarence had to furnish not only the coffee, but 95c in change, too. Eventually, Anna had collected enough dollars to purchase a new Lincoln car and she had to have two men help her carry the suitcases filled with dollars into the Ford garage to pay for the car.

Clarence became known for his love of rolling dice. He would bet on almost anything—and most of the time he won.

In 1935 he sold the Eat Shop and in a few months opened a bowling alley on the second floor of the building which stood where the Washington County Bank is now located. He operated the business for three years, sold out and gave his whole attention to farming for a time and then later bought the Blue Ribbon Lunch now operated by Lester Wheeler.

During all of that time he served on the board of the Papio Soil Conservation District—the oldest such district in the state. He went all over the nation to Soil Conservation conventions. At the same time he served on the board of the Washington County Fair and his experience in businesses of an entertainment nature made him a natural in directing the stock car races which once drew thousands each week at the fair grounds.

His wife, Anna, preceded him in death a number of years ago. After that he lived alone and in failing health. In recent months he has been living at the Good Shepherd Home. Death came Saturday at the Blair Hospital.

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at the Campbell Mortuary with the Rev. George Pallesen in charge of the service.

Pall bearers were Alfred O. Sick, Lester Wheeler, Ray Hansen, Hjalmer Quist, Leslie Reynolds and Charles Neff. Burial, directed by the Campbell Mortuary was in the Blair Cemetery.

He is survived by a brother, Charles P. King and by two sisters, Mrs. Clarence Heckert and Mrs. Nell Schultz, all of Missouri. None of them ever lived in this area. Mr. and Mrs. King had no children.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~