Story
I met Josah in January 2006 when she attended Kansas State University as a freshman and we became fast friends. I met Laurel, her mom, the following summer when she made the decision to move back to Iowa and Laurel came to Kansas to help her move. On a trip to visit Josah later that fall, we went to the K-State vs Iowa State game in Ames, then went to visit her family in Garner where I met Bruce, her father, and Logan, her brother, for the first time. Somehow during this time, my path has never crossed with Chelsea, her sister, although we are connected through social media and can probably tell you all about each other's lives without having met in person. Despite hundreds of miles separating us during the course of our friendship, Jo and I have retained a close relationship with one another, and we now work collaboratively running our own small businesses within the Instagram Vintage Community. Bruce and Laurel, Josah and Josh, and Logan and Courtney used to travel to Kansas City for the NCAA Men's Basketball Big 12 tournament. My husband and I would drive up to spend the weekend with The Clements around the games. This involved playing a lot of Dutch Blitz in hotel lobbies (Bruce was ruthless, by the way), going to The College Basketball Experience, or on a couple of occasions even catching a game with them if they had extra passes. I have fond memories of these trips with her family. Bruce and Laurel are truly two of the most selfless people I have ever met, and my heart is broken for Laurel and her family in hearing that Bruce passed away on Sunday, September 15, 2024. HOW YOU CAN HELP With Laurel being in Garner, IA, Josah (Josh and Pearl) and Chelsea (and family) in Minneapolis, MN, and Logan (and family) in Des Moines, IA, we needed to find an option that people can contribute to for things to benefit the entire immediate family as they navigate this difficult time. Garner has limited delivery options, and there may be multiple trips needed to and from each city over the next few weeks due to kids' activities and school, pet care, work, and other obligations. We wanted to create a pool of funds so Laurel, Josah, Logan or Chelsea can utilize them in each city as needed for food, gas, or other expenses. On the wishlist, you can select a gift card to Instacart or Door Dash which will help contribute to groceries or ready-to-go meals they can access through Hyvee (local grocer in the Midwest available in all three cities), and Visa gift cards which can help them with gas and travel expenses on the road (or other potential expenses like cleaning, groundskeeping, maintenance, etc. as needed). You can also donate directly to Josah's Venmo via the Donate via Venmo button and she can distribute funds to her family as needed. Memories and messages for the family can be left in the Messages section at the bottom of the page. THANK YOU This effort has been organized through the collaborative brainstorming of Josah's friends from both her personal life and her Instagram collaborators, and we cannot express our gratitude enough that so many are willing to contribute in supporting The Clement Family. Special thanks to Kaitlin Maley, Hannah Aranda, Jackie Miller, Marion Startz, Ashley Gipson, Charity Edgar, Amanda Winfrey, Clint Brocka, and Kelly Burke. To all offering support through this campaign (or in other ways) or extending their condolences, please know how appreciated you all are. -Vanessa Fronce