Clarence Foster Waller

NEW CONCORD -- Clarence Foster Waller (Clancy aka Papa), 87, passed away Aug. 9, 2009, at Mt. Carmel East Hospital, after an extended illness.

He spent the last three and a half years living in New Albany with his daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Bob Marvin, where he enjoyed the company of his extended family and friends and conversed daily with his ham radio buddies on frequency 3805.

Clancy was born Feb. 11, 1922, in Cambridge, to Roy and Olive Touvell Waller. He graduated from Cambridge High School in 1940.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Evelyn Warrick Waller; his second wife, Leona Boyle Waller; and a sister, Clarice Waller Oliver.

He is survived by a daughter, Carol (Robert) Marvin; son, Douglas (Judy) Waller of Norwich; sister, Alice Wilson of North Ft. Myers, Fla.; and sister-in-law, Katharyn (Mickey) Goss of Cambridge.

Clancy was co-owner of Waller Appliances in New Concord with his father, Roy Waller. After Roy's death in 1962, Clancy and Evelyn changed the name of their business to Waller Electronics. Waller Electronics was the authorized Zenith Sales and Service dealer, as well as authorized Motorola Service Station (MSS) for southeastern Ohio. Upon his retirement in March 1983, Clancy was honored by Motorola for his 36 years of dedicated service to the communications industry.

Clancy experimented with the first television set believed to be successfully used in Guernsey and Muskingum counties. He was able to tune in visual broadcasts from both Cleveland and Cincinnati. He was a lifelong ham radio operator and life member of the Cambridge Amateur Radio Association. He was named to the American Radio Relay League DX Century Club for successfully conducting two-way radio communication with amateur stations in at least 100 different countries. Clancy changed his FCC call letters from W8RVU to his late father's call letters of W8CL.

Clancy was a pilot and flew his own plane for many years. He was a Master Mason of the Masonic Lodge, Norwich, and a special sheriff's deputy in Muskingum County. He was a member of Elks BPO 448, and Norwich Presbyterian Church.

Clancy (Papa) took special pride in his three granddaughters, Rachel Augustine (Rick) of Lewis Center, a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus; Tara Miller (Darren) of New Albany, owner and artistic director of the New Albany Ballet Co.; and Shanon Jap, M.D. (Peter) of Ann Arbor, Mich., who is currently completing a fellowship in adult and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Michigan.

Papa will also be missed by his four great-grandchildren, Sam and Jessica Augustine, and Madeline and Isabella (Bella) Miller. He will greatly missed by his cat and constant companion, Charlie.

Funeral services will be Aug. 13 at the Mock-Miller Funeral Home, New Concord. Rev. Tom Gruver officiated.

Burial was in the New Concord Cemetery.