Once upon a time there lived a man named Clemente (Clem) Cantu. He dearly loved his family, and although he wasn’t known to say it out loud, you could tell. It was in his actions, his jokes, and especially his smile.

Born on February 11, 1929 to Avelino “Roy” Cantu and Rosie Gomez Cantu, Clem spent his youth in the 1930s doing what most kids did: he played, and he worked. Eventually, as all boys do, he also got to go to school, thanks to the Child Labor laws signed in 1939 by President Franklin Roosevelt. Clem had never been to school, but due to an unexpected injury and hospitalization, he ended up under the care of a wheelchair-bound teacher who lived in the hospital. She tutored Clem daily until he was released from the hospital, caught up to grade level.

For fun, Clem made his own toys out of whatever he could find—little bits and scraps of things others discarded. He also spent most of his time outside. He made himself a slingshot, and enjoyed playing with that, and another time he and some other kids dared each other to sit in the cemetery at night. When an owl hooted, the kids scattered, running back home as fast as they could.

One of the many jobs he had when he was young included working on a ranch. He learned to drive by himself when his boss stuck him behind the wheel of a truck – with manual transmission no less – and told him to drive it out and swap it with the foreman for a horse. Nothing like learning to drive on the fly and on your own! He also did the opposite, trading the horse back for the truck.

Clem also worked with “Real Cowboys” – the ones who rode with the livestock and moved out as the seasons dictated. He used some of the money he earned to buy his very own radio from a cowboy that was moving on. He listened daily, his favorite radio programs being “Baby Snooks” and “The Shadow.”

And in this way, Clem passed his childhood.

Oh, the stories Clem could tell! He talked about a time in America when men cut ice from rivers and lakes, and packed it in sawdust to keep throughout the following summer. They cared for farm animals and grew their own food, and they lived quite well without cellphones, internet, television and many of the things we consider the necessities of life.

When he was 20, Clem joined the military. It was 1949, and Europe was recovering from the devastation of WWII. Clem shipped out overseas, excited to be deployed to Germany…or so he thought. Out of his entire Platoon, only Clem and his buddy were sent to an Italian city on the Adriatic called Trieste. Once a critical warm-water port city for the Austro-Hungarian empire, it was where Clem’s destiny lay. He just didn’t know it yet.

In 1949, Trieste was still being fought over by the world. Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia wanted it for his communist empire; the rest of the western world wanted it returned to Italy. The British and Americans teamed up as post-war regional administrators, protecting Trieste from Communism while the world decided what to do with the city. Thus, Clem became a member of the Trieste United States Troops (TRUST). The men of TRUST found themselves on the front lines of the first battles of the Cold War, living in a storied city with a real castle, surrounded by beautiful Triestine women who were malnourished and exhausted from over two decades of fascism, lives of privation and years of occupation by the Nazis. On May 2, 1949, Clem arrived in Trieste; his future had begun.

Unbeknownst to him, a beautiful 19-year-old Triestina named Maria Bensi lived in the city. She, her parents and her two sisters had made it through the war, but Maria had not had it easy. Aware he was to be conscripted by a regime he hated, Maria’s Papà Antonio had joined the Italian Partisans, and disappeared into the underground resistance. He told no one where he went. Maria’s Mama, Giovanna, meanwhile, often risked her life riding the train to the countryside to trade for food.

One day, a Nazi official stopped at Maria’s door and demanded to know where her Papà was. Maria and her older sister Silvana were all alone, as their mother and little sister Elda were not home. The girls were able to truthfully say that they didn’t know where he was. Thankfully, the Nazi believed them, and he left, never to return.

Maria left school at 14 to start an apprenticeship, which was common in those days. She would become a master seamstress who helped her family earn money to survive. After the war ended in 1945, when the Americans rode into a liberated city, Maria celebrated with her fellow Triestini. Within two weeks, her beloved Papà returned safely home.

Many years later, watching the Americans liberate Baghdad on TV, Maria – crying tears of joy for those beleaguered people – told her children, “You will never understand what it’s like to see the Americans come and liberate your city!” She cherished America, and the memory of that liberation, for the rest of her life.

One day in Trieste, Maria and Clem met by chance. Clem was going roller skating with a young woman he had met. She happened to be Maria’s best friend. Clem’s buddy came along, and he brought Maria. While the others skated, Maria sat watching. Clem asked her why she wasn’t skating, and learned she didn’t know how. Being the gentleman that he was, Clem helped the pretty Maria put on her skates, using his very own skate key – the same key he would later pass on to his granddaughter Madalyn on her wedding day. Clem then helped Maria learn to skate.

Later in life, Maria talked about rollerskating with Clem, laughing about how he tried to show offand ended up running into a pole. Clem always protested he didn’t run into the pole, he was merely using it to slow himself down.

Eventually, Clem caught his buddy with another girl. According to family lore, Clem told his buddy, “You just blew it.” From then on, he pursued Maria like a man on a mission. It didn’t take long for Maria to decide she loved this handsome American GI. Maria’s family also adored him, and after a whirlwind courtship, Clem married his lovely bride – not once, but three times. Starting on October 22, 1949, the couple had a civil wedding for the city of Trieste, a military wedding for the United States, and a church wedding for the family. Three weddings and a lot of love did the trick: they were married 70 years in all – or 77, if you listened to Clem. He never stopped counting anniversaries, even after the loss of his beloved Maria in 2019.

In October of 1950, their first child, Roy, was born in Trieste, and in 1952 the little family shipped off to America. The Cantus settled in California, where Clem attended college and worked various jobs, while Maria cared for their son. In 1960, their first daughter, Sylvia, was born, followed by Alan in 1962. In 1966, the final Cantu, Karina, was born.

Throughout, Clem maintained his ties to the military as a member of the California Army National Guard, working in Red Bluff for years before becoming the 1st Sergeant in charge of the maintenance shop for the 579th Engineer’s Battalion in Eureka.

The years in Eureka were good ones for the Cantus, filled with family, friends, work and school. Throughout, Clem and Maria raised their family and, one by one, watched them fly the nest. In 1989, Clem retired from the National Guard. He then shifted his focus to the protection of Eureka, working as a member of the Office of Emergency Services, who partnered with the Humboldt Amateur Radio Club (HARC) to provide emergency communications in the event of earthquakes or other disasters. As a member of HARC, Clem also helped provide communications for events such as the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon, and he wrote, edited and distributed the Radio Amateur Information News (RAIN) newsletter for HARC for many years. Additionally, Clem was a member of the Eureka VFW post 883, serving at one point as its Commander.

As happens to us all, the Cantus grew older, but they never lost their sense of humor, nor the love, support and commitment to each other and their family. Maria passed unexpectedly in 2019, which devastated Clem. He never recovered from the loss of his beloved, but continued to live on, bearing witness to family events and milestones, including the birth of his and Maria’s two great-grandchildren.

Clem stayed in his own home to the very end. He was cared for by his family, with daily meals and companionship provided by his children, and weekly loving care provided by the incomparable Whitney Brady of Visiting Angels. In the last week of his life, Hospice of Humboldt stepped in with guidance and support for his children and grandchildren while they provided round-the-clock care for Clem.

On April 8, 2026, at the age 97, Clem passed peacefully at home from congestive heart failure. He is now happily reunited in heaven with his beloved Maria, his siblings, his parents and grandparents, his in-laws, his friends and even his childhood best friend – his dog, Major.

Clem lived an extraordinary life. His family – Roy (Lori), Sylvia (Dan), Alan (Linda), Karina (Kent), his grandkids Samantha (Jared), Natalie (Skylar), Madalyn (Kenneth), and Finnegan (Lillian) and his great-grandchildren Miranda and Teddy – will never forget his jokes, his smile, his wisdom and his love for them all. They wish him and Mama a fabulous eternity together in heaven – even though they will selfishly miss seeing them daily here on Earth.

Postscript: Clem, Maria and their family are strong supporters of our men and women in uniform. They are also appreciative of the care provided for both Clem and Maria by Hospice of Humboldt. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Clem and Maria’s names to the USO at uso.com, or to Hospice of Humboldt. These two worthy organizations deserve our support, in recognition of and appreciation for the support they provide for others.

Funeral services for Clem will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Sanders Funeral Home in Eureka. A military service will be held at 2 p.m. the same day at Sunset Memorial Park on Broadway in Eureka. All are welcome to attend. Hats and regalia of active duty military and veterans are appreciated.