Mildred 'Sis' Day Clements, 87, Westbrook and Clinton
Mildred “Sis” (Day) Clements, age 87, passed away on Sunday morning, April 13, at Apple Rehabilitation in Old Saybrook. Sis was born on November 28, 1926, in Bristol, the daughter of Elmore and Lucy (Flanders) Day. She was a graduate of Bristol High School, class of 1944, and also a graduate of Lasell College, class of 1946.
A summer resident of Westbrook since 1938, she became a permanent resident of the community in 1948. Sis was a research librarian at the Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton, the children’s librarian at the Westbrook Public Library, Assistant Town Clerk in Westbrook, a nursery school teacher at the Country Nursery School in Clinton, and a member of the United Methodist Church of Clinton. She was also a substitute organist, Cherub Choir accompanist, member of the Westbrook Library Expansion Committee and Republican Town Committee, Secretary of the Planning Commission, Elderly Housing Committee, Grove Beach Point Tax Collector, and Holbrook Award Winner of 2006.
She led a rich and eclectic life, constantly curious and constantly in pursuit of learning, and never shy about expressing her opinions. She was passionate about nature, books, music, boating, town politics, religious doctrines, and Native American culture, to name just a few. In her earlier years, she attended power squadron classes, took divinity school courses for the layperson, and as a planning commission member, went head-to-head with developers in Westbrook. In her later years (even as late as her 80s), she decided she wanted to learn to ride horses, so she attended High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center, and also attended classes provided by the Connecticut State Police. Not one much affected by popular opinion, she forged her own path in life, whether it was taking in a homeless person who later saved her life, or spending her last dime on a “Save the Whale” fund. She was truly the captain of her own ship.
She is survived by her daughters Janet C. Dickey (Jeffrey) of Westbrook, Lynn Clements(Kathy Williams) of Branford; her son John C. Clements (Michaelene Komara) of Westbrook; her grandchildren Katherine A. Clements, Geoffrey C. Dickey, Lili H. Dickey, and Kevin J. Dickey; her sister Joan Wilson of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and several nieces and nephews. Sis was predeceased by her brother Elmore M. Day, Jr., and her sister Ruth D. Presti.
Visitation will be held on April 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main St., in Centerbrook. Funeral services will be held on April 19 at 10:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church of Clinton, 12 Commerce St. Burial will follow in the Cypress Cemetery in Westbrook. Memorial contributions in Sis’s name may be made to High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc., 36 Towns Woods Rd., Old Lyme, CT 06371, or to the Valley Shore Animal Welfare League, P.O. Box 1134, Westbrook, CT 06498. To share a memory of Sis or send a condolence to her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com.