Clifford L. Shandle

Clifford L. Shandle, age 90, was in the comfort of his son’s home and surrounded by family when he went to be with his Lord and Savior on December 17, 2016 Cliff was born on the Mather Estate on Little Mountain, in Kirtland Twp. November 29, 1926, to Stephen and Ada Shandle. He was raised and resided in Mentor and Wickliffe most of his life. One of 9 children, he graduated from Mentor High School in 1944. Cliff is a veteran of United States Marine Corps, having served on active duty during WWII. Reflecting on Cliff’s life isn’t hard to do for most who have met him. The words “a good man is hard to find” always brought about Shirley's wonderful laugh, and a chuckle from those who knew him. The man we all knew and loved not only impacted the lives of those in his family and community, but also of this entire nation. His compassion to help others was manifest by the life he led. We are honored to be witness to his remarkable legacy. His greatest accomplishment, and the one dearest to his heart, was his loving family who was always by his side to support his every venture. He instilled in his family that there was “only 1 way to do a job — the right way,” and that went for life, too. With the loss of his oldest child, Carolyn, he passionately instituted the Leukemia Plus (Race For Life) program with Mentor Rotary. The program has helped find bone marrow transplant matches for Leukemia patients and has increased the registry by thousands. Among his many other accomplishments, Cliff was an active member and past president of Mentor Rotary Club. He was recognized with the very 1st Fred Fuldauer Rotarian of the Year award in addition to multiple “Paul Harris Fellow" awards. He was also a member of the Painesville United Methodist Church, having served as a Trustee. Additionally, in 2006 Cliff was recognized as a distinguished alumnus by the Mentor High School Alumni Association and entered in to the "Alumni Hall of Fame". With both a smile and a bit of sarcasm, Shirley often referred to Cliff as “a regimented Marine.” Even in his last years his eyes would fill with tears when he expressed how thankful he was to have been stateside when they dropped the bomb and ended the war. Cliff started building homes and developing land, and in 1965 created Shandle Construction Co. He is the only individual to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cleveland HBA. He was a Life Director for the Cleveland & Suburban Counties HBA (Home Builders Association), the OHBA (Ohio Home Builders Association), and the National Association of Home Builders. He was President of both the HBA and the OHBA and served on the board of the NAHB. He was honored with the Builder of the Year award in 1984 and was an honored recipient of the OHBA’s Garson-McDaniel award for giving so much to the home building industry. He also received Lake County’s Development Councils “Beautification Award for Improving the Quality of Life.” because of how he developed land to bring success to others, not just to himself. His desire to give back to the community was the driving force in all his accomplishments. He served as co-construction coordinator of the Lake County YMCA Dream House from 1996-2012 raising more than $3 million dollars for the YMCA. He was vice-chairman and chairman of Mentor's Zoning & Planning Commission, served on the Lake Hospital Foundation's Finance Committee and on the board of Lake County Community Development Corp., and was a founding member of MEACO (Mentor Economic Assistance Corp.). In 1997, Cliff and his wife Shirley were honored as recipients of the Mentor Chamber of Commerce "Citizens of the Year" award. Beyond his notable career, Cliff had a love for singing. He was a 50 year member of SPEBSQSA'S (barbershop harmony) local chapter, the North Coast "Johnnycake Ridge Singers." He served in Barbershop in many capacities, including President, and was also honored as "Barbershopper of the Year." Cliff loved to travel God’s country with his wife Shirley. He was also an avid deer hunter and fisherman. He was an active member of the "Y," and back in the day was a local stock car driver. Cliff is preceded in death by his father Stephen and mother Ada Shandle. He is also preceded in death by brothers Elmer, Ira, Joseph (Marjory), and Ernest (Jane); sisters Bertha Kipp, Dorothy (Bill) Pullin; nephew Dan Pullin; and daughter and “angel” Carolyn Cobb. Cliff is survived by his wife of 61 years, Shirley, sons Steven (Lynn) and Thomas (Christy); daughter Beth Anne (Chester) Karchefsky; sisters Eleanore Lette and Marge (Rollie) Helton; Grandchildren; Tracy, T.J. (Ashley), Katie, Dawn, Brittany, Nicole, Tara, Anna, Kyle, Dakota, David & Elisabeth; Great-grandchildren; Timmy, Michael, Tommy, Steven, Aiden, Devin, Mason, Emma, Elijah and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of Clifford’s life will be 11:00AM Wednesday, December 28, 2016, at Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave., Mentor. Family will receive friends from 3:00PM - 7:00PM on Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at the funeral home. Interment Mentor Cemetery, Mentor. Contributions may be made to Mentor Rotary Club, c/o Joey Tomsick, Pres. PO Box 1177, Mentor OH 44061, PUMC (P'ville United Methodist Church), 7 N. Park Place, Painesville OH 44077 or Johnnycake Ridge Chorus, c/o Dick Hills, 12311 Nantucket Dr., Chardon OH 44024. Send flowers and offer condolences at www.brunners.com

Clifford L. Shandle

November 29, 1926 - December 17, 2016