Clarence Jordan

Clarence Jordan joined us on July 12, 1942, in Augusta, Georgia. Loved and raised by Lucy Washington and Paul Jordan, he was the youngest of four siblings. His two protective sisters (Marie and Pauline) helped keep him in line, while his big brother Paul Jr. taught him how to walk the line. Growing up in the south, where inequality was abundant, he decided to move to the Midwest after graduating from Lucy Laney High School for better opportunities. His travels led him to Chicago, which would eventually become his new home. It didn’t take him long to find employment at National Soda Straw Company, where he met a beautiful coworker and his future wife, Ida Mae Sneed. In the fall of 1963, they joined in holy matrimony and became the Jordans. From this blessed union, their son, Clarence Erick Jordan, was born eight years later. Now with a wife, a newborn, and becoming a new homeowner on the south side of Chicago, Fat Daddy (childhood nickname) needed more income. Clarence began working on the product assembly line at Schulze & Burch Biscuit Company and stayed there for many decades. Being an excellent provider, he worked there for over 37 years and was able to happily retire in 2004. Later that year, Erick and Oralynetta Jordan blessed him with his first and only granddaughter, Cyniah Andrea Jordan. Two years later, he became a widow as Ida Mae passed away after losing her battle with breast cancer. After her passing, you could usually find him at home watching sports or the news. He was a huge fan of Magic Johnson and could listen to Gladys Knight and Whitney Houston all day, if you let him. In the summer of 2021, desiring warmer weather and wanting to be closer to family, he moved back to Georgia, his birth home. Living in Georgia gave him the opportunity to make new memories with loved ones as he was now able to experience birthdays, graduations, parties, and other events firsthand. Over time, his health started to wane, and his quality of life began to decline, mostly due to COPD and emphysema. Spending most of his last days in hospitals and later an inpatient hospice, he left the pain behind and transitioned the night of June 15, 2026. He leaves behind his son (Clarence Erick Jordan), granddaughter (Cyniah Andrea Jordan), nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, as he reunites with his parents, siblings, family, wife, and friends

Tributes

Clarence Jordan

July 12, 1942 - June 15, 2026