Clair South, 95, of Cumberland

Funeral Services: Will be held on Friday, September 6, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cumberland First Baptist Church with burial following in the Greenwood Cemetery with full military honors. Pastor Mike Martin will officiate the service. The Lamb Funeral Home in Massena is in charge of the professional arrangements. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfuneralhomes.com. 

Family Visitation: The family will greet friends on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at the Lamb Funeral Home in Massena from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Memorials: In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the First Baptist Church in Cumberland, Massena Baptist Church, Cumberland Fire and Rescue or the Cass County Fair Association – Horse Department.

Ronald Clair South passed away September 1, 2024, at the Greenfield Rehabilitation Center where he resided since 2016. 

Clair (RC) was born on July 31, 1929 at the family farm home near Cumberland, to Wilbur South and Geneva (Edwards) South. He attended the Mayflower Elementary School and graduated from Cumberland High School in 1947. 

On December 14, 1951, he married the love of his life, Marilee June Lacey at the Lacey family farm near Cumberland, Iowa. The newlyweds traveled to Arizona then Richmond, California where they both were employed for a short time before returning to Iowa.

The couple raised four children, Ronald Lee, Vicki Jo, Connie Jean, and Cody Allen in Wiota, Massena, and Cumberland, Iowa. Clair provided for his family by farming, selling and adjusting insurance, selling seed corn, being a farrier, judging horse shows and breeding and training Registered Quarter Horses. He was also a school bus driver for the Cumberland & Massena School District, a 4-H leader, belonged to various saddle clubs and served in the National Guard and Reserves. He was member and Treasurer of the Cumberland First Baptist Church and was a volunteer fireman and EMT for the Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department. He also served as a guide leading trail rides on horseback in Arizona through the White Mountains near Snowflake and Superstition Mountains near Mesa until he was 84 years old while wintering at the Aztec Trailer Resort.

Clair accepted Christ as his personal savior on August 9, 1942, was baptized on September 7, and was welcomed as a member into the Cumberland Baptist Church on October 4. His strong faith was central in the raising of his children.

Clair’s love of horses was well known. Nothing made this old cowboy happier than to train children (of any age) to ride, groom, show, and perform farrier duties safely. As a judge at 4-H shows, he spent an inordinate amount of time working with kids to develop their horsemanship skills. He raised each of his children to perform at horse shows and rodeos and was elated to share his knowledge, time and horses with his grandkids and great-grandchildren.

He is survived by children Lee South and wife Jenny of Spencer, Nebraska, Vicki and husband Mike Morrison of Massena, Iowa, Connie and husband Ted Henkenius of Omaha, Nebraska, and Cody South of Martinez, California; grandchildren and great grandchildren, Sean South and wife Michal and their children Carlee and husband Luke Masters, Brian and wife Ally, Mia, Alison, Erin, Shyla, and Evan of Cumberland, Iowa, Stephanie and husband Mike Frankele and their children Anna and Blake Maas and Seth Frankele of Sioux City, Iowa, Tyler South and daughters Olivia, Isabelle and Ava of Cumberland, Iowa, Tessa and husband Brian Hendrickson and their children Claire, Aiden, and Lydia of Paola, Kansas, Haley Morrison and Eric Bergum of Pella, Iowa, Lacey Morrison of Adel, Iowa, McCade Morrison of Massena, Iowa, Taylor and husband Dan Knoll and daughters Edna, Mabel and Betty of Dallas Center, Iowa, Megan and husband Jared Kennedy and daughters Rachael, Lucy and Elisabeth of Louisville, Kentucky, Amy and husband Joe Stilwell and their children Kylee Stilwell, Joie Stilwell, Traivyn Stilwell, Kaley Embry, Kaden Embry, and Kassidy Embry of Dickinson, North Dakota, Laura and husband Michael Pfeifer and daughters Charlotte and Emilyn of Omaha, Nebraska, Luke Henkenius and wife Autumn and daughters Alice and Adeline of Arlington, Nebraska; brother, Delmar South and wife Jo of Cumberland, Iowa; sister-in-law, Ruth Melena of Sun City, Arizona; other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife Marilee South, Wilbur South, mother Geneva South, father-in-law Gilbert Lacey, mother-in-law Esma Lacey brother-in-law Roger Lacey, brother-in-law David Melena, brother-in-law Gilbert Lacey, Jr. and sister-in-law Jean Lacey, sister-in-law Peggy Lacey, sister-in-law Shirlene South and nephew Reid South.