Clayton R. "Clanc" Fuchs

1950 - 2024

Clayton Robert Fuchs ("Clanc"), age 74, of Orono, passed away peacefully Dec. 14, 2024, from a burst aortic aneurysm at Abott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis surrounded by friends and family. Clayton was born Jan. 19, 1950, the third child of Robert Fuchs and Ardis (Anderson) Fuchs.
Clayton grew up (being the consummate witty prankster and character, some argue he never really grew up) in Sauk Centre. He attended Holy Family School and graduated Sauk Centre High School with the class of 1968. He was a genuine, bona fide, full-blown character.
Clayton attended Brown Institute in Minneapolis in the radio broadcasting program, and in his early career, he worked as a broadcaster for a radio station in Long Prairie. But, his occasional satire and sometimes edgy observations of life that would be popular in today's society were a bit too much for that time, and he moved on. He was one of the first persons hired by Federal Express in Minnesota and spent most of his working career as a dispatcher for FedEx in Minneapolis, where he continued communicating via radio, often including the same wit and satire, but then with the limited audience of FedEx drivers who enjoyed his life observations.
Clayton's personality, warmth and generosity made him easy to befriend and easy to like, and resulted in long and strong relationships with relatives, childhood friends, fellow employees, neighbors, and anyone he met. He had a special fondness for pets and children - nieces, nephews, neighbors - and anyone less fortunate.
His interests were many and varied from spending time on the water, working with his hands on anything, to rooting for Minnesota sports teams. He would often recount portions of a Vikings game without the express written consent of the Minnesota Vikings or the National Football League. One of his fondest memories was a several week motorcycle trip through the western USA with his brother Darwin (Dars) when they were in their early 20s. Fortunately, the statutes of limitations have run in the states they visited, so it's all good now.
Clanc was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Darwin in September 2021, and his brother-in-law Gary Bergstrom. Clanc never fully came to grips with Darwin's death. Clanc is survived by his brother Gary (Carol Lyngen) Fuchs of Alexandria; his sisters, Gayle Bergstrom of Temple, Texas, and Jan (Tom) Meyer, of Sauk Centre; sister-in-law Dawn Fox of Maple Grove; niece Kathryn (Nate) Orr; and nephews Jeff (Wendy) Bergstrom, Chad Bergstrom, Nathan Bergstrom, John (Abby) Fox, Dustin (Trista) Meyer, Ethan (Haylee Baier) Meyer; several great-nieces and great-nephews; his Aunt Lillian (Anderson) Erickson, many Fuchs and Anderson cousins; and his partner Deborah Butler and her daughters, Breanne and Sarallyn, and their children, Collin, Lucy, Emma and Landon. Words cannot express how much he will be missed by all of those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
The Fuchs family is planning a memorial service later in spring 2025.