Robert "Bob" Clement

New Iberia – A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am, on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Highland Baptist Church, for Robert H. “Bob” Clement, 95, who passed away on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

 

Entombment will follow in the Holy Family Cemetery, with Military Honors by the Acadiana Honor Guard.

 

Rev. David Denton will officiate.

 

Visitation will be Wednesday, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, at Pellerin Funeral Home, and will continue at Highland Baptist Church on Thursday, from 9:00 am until 10:00 am.

 

A longtime resident of New Iberia, Mr. Clement was born on December 2, 1928, in Roanoke, to the late Vollie Duff Clement and Ethel Golden Clement. He proudly served our country as a Corporal, in the U.S. Army, during the Korean War, from 1950 to 1952. Bob then worked at Donaldson Ford, in Sulphur, from 1953 until 1965, where he started as a mechanic, working his way up to being the service manager. He then became an instructor at the Teche Area Vocational School, teaching auto and diesel mechanics to countless number of students. 

 

After retiring, in 1989, Bob and his late wife, Leatrice, began assisting the Volunteer Christian Builders Organization constructing over 47 churches in smaller communities across the United States. A devout member of Highland Baptist Church, he served as a Deacon and was on various committees. Bob enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, traveling, woodworking, and most of all spending time with his family. One of his favorite expressions was “Don’t take any wooden nickels”.

 

Survivors include his daughters, Ruth Clement Collins (Emel Collins, Jr.) and Rachel Clement Benton (Gary Benton); grandchildren, Emel “Joey” Collins, III, Lauren Gunter (Brent), Rebecca Pittman (Zack), and Lara Rodriguez (Andrew); and great grandchildren, Clark, Annie, Jude, Micah, and Eliza.

 

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Leatrice Clement; and a brother, Donald Ray Clement.

 

Pallbearers will be Emel Collins, Jr., Gary Benton, Emel “Joey” Collins, III, C. Brent Gunter, Zack Pittman, and Andrew Rodriguez.

Honorary pallbearers include George Stokes, Eugene Olivier, Sr., and E.J. Ellender.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Project Reach, 613 Hwy 1235, Dodson, LA 71422. www.louisianateenchallenge.com/projectreach. This ministry was started by Bob’s granddaughter, Lauren, and her husband, Brent, as a way of spreading the Gospel and reaching out to the homeless and those fighting addictions.

Pellerin Funeral Home, 502 Jefferson Terrace, New Iberia, LA 70560 (337.365.3331)