Marion Clemmens, grandson of Fallbrook pioneers, still volunteering at age 94

Marion Clemmens can be found once a month on the museum grounds of the Fallbrook Historical Society. This spry grandson of Fallbrook pioneers has his heart in his work, believes in Fallbrook and knows the value of this community’s history. After all, he has lived it – going on 94 years now. He could possibly be the oldest living native Fallbrook resident.

His mother, Carrie Colby Clemmens, was born in Fallbrook in 1887 and was the oldest of five girls. Her grandmother, Candice Richardson, came to the San Luis Rey Valley by covered wagon in the spring following the Donner Party tragedy in 1846. The family then moved to Fallbrook because there was not much of a settlement in the San Luis Rey Valley.

Marion’s father, Albert Clemmens, came to Fallbrook in 1907 at about 25 years of age. That same year, Albert paid five dollars an acre for 13 acres of land in the area that is now in the vicinity of Clemmens Lane. Some of the property bordered the Odd Fellows Cemetery, which is where many of the Clemmens family members are buried. Albert actually donated some of the land that now encompasses the cemetery.

Albert married Carrie Colby in 1911 and had five sons, including Marion, who was born July 17, 1918.

When mail delivery started in Fallbrook, all of the unnamed streets had to be named so the postman could find them. When the postal service reps asked Marion’s father Albert what he wanted to name the street, he commented, “I don’t have time to name a street, I have a ranch to run.” So the postal service reps decided to name the street Clemmens Lane after the Clemmens family that lived there.

Marion first went to school at Fall Brook School in 1924 where he was a student until the 4th grade. He then transferred to the new school, West Fall Brook School, where he graduated from the 8th grade.

Elda Owens was his first teacher and also a neighbor of the Clemmens. He liked visiting at the Owens home because they owned a waffle iron, which was quite a novelty in the early twenties.

Marion attended Fallbrook Union High from the 9th to the 12th grade. His graduating class, the Class of 1936, had 32 members.

After high school graduation Marion helped his father on the family ranch where they maintained a lemon grove. He loved being outdoors. “Man can’t duplicate what God gives us,” he remarked.

In 1939, Marion married Vista resident Esther Lee Barnes, whom he had met on a blind date. He was 21 and she was 19. “It cost me two dollars,” Marion noted. The couple raised three daughters.

Marion provided for his family as a Fallbrook postal worker. “We didn’t even have a uniform, or a mail truck,” he said. At first, his route was Main Street, then he became a permanent carrier on one of the Rural Routes, which he enjoyed. “I liked people – I would treat them all the same,” said Marion.

After he retired from the postal service in 1972, the family then moved to Crestview Mobile Home Park where Marion worked as a handyman for 10 years. He lived there until his wife passed away in 2005.

Marion was, and still is, a member of the Fallbrook Historical Society. Since he loved gardening and being outdoors, Marion offered to tend their gardens, a task which he enjoyed for 15 years, until he turned 90. His plan was to retire, but the Historical Society directors would have none of that. Instead, Marion was told that they were still going to keep him around as a director emeritus.

A 1998 Village News story submitted by the Fallbrook Historical Society, (about Marion who was 80) reads: “The grounds and buildings of the museums show the love and dedication that is given to mowing, blowing and putting in new plants, maintaining the irrigation system, besides keeping the buildings themselves functioning. Marion generously does all these duties on a volunteer basis.”

Marion still drives. He drives himself to services at the Fallbrook United Methodist Church. He drives himself to the museum where he enjoyed many years of volunteer work and is still at it. In fact, I saw him hard at work last Saturday during the Fallbrook Historical Society’s Christmas event. He told me that he had been there most of the day.

If I were a betting person I would put money on the odds that Marion Clemmens will never retire. After all, his church, museum work and family ought to keep him busy for a long, long time.