Clarence Carnal September 4, 1909 – March 11, 2012 Born Sept. 4, 1909 in Littleton, CO to William Henry and Sarah Belle (Bishop) Carnal. Clarence and his family moved to the Western Slope when he was five. They settled on the UncompahgreRiver (ranch) south of MontroseCO . He attended & graduated from High School at ColonaSchool (1928). He married Rose W. Arndt in Montrose on May 20, 1935. They moved to Washington (state) in 1938 where daughter Dolores, was born in 1940. Later, they lived in California and British Columbia (Canada), with Clarence working at various occupations, prior to moving back to Grand Junction in 1955. He then worked for the Colorado Dept. of Highways, now CDOT while he also maintained a saw and gun repairs shop doing all kinds of equipment repair and gunsmithing. Clarence retired from CDOT in 1973. While operating the gun shop, he also worked for Bookcliff Country Club, doing maintenance. Clarence closed the gun shop in 1987, retired again and moved to Old Mexico for four years, returning to Grand Junction in 1992. Since then, he practiced poetry and gave his initial performance in Cowboy Poetry at the local gathering (Museum of Western, CO) in 2008. He was a natural performer and continued to do local appearances until this year. He was honored to perform at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV (Feb. 1-5, 2012). He performed there with several well-known and accomplished poets who honored him with respect and professional courtesy. This was the highlight of his later years and he recalled the trip lovingly, until his death. He is survived by his wife of 76 years, Rose; a daughter, Dolores; seven grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Lois (Charles) Hays of Ponca City, OK; and many other relatives. A memorial service in celebration of his long and wonderful life will be noon, Friday, March 16, at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. A reception will follow. (Location will be announced.) Memorial contributions may be made to: The Museum of Western CO, Attn. RonnaLee Sharp; The Salvation Army; or the N.R.A.

Published in The Daily Sentinel on Mar. 14, 2012