Dear Belcher family,

Greetings from Oregon.  We were saddened to learn of the passing of your beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather. Please accept our heartfelt sympathies.  We have asked God to hold you close at this time of loss.

You’re probably wondering who in the world we are?  Please allow us to tell you how we meet Clynard and Anita and how that very brief encounter had a lasting impression on us.

Our names are Mark and Nancy Johnson and we live in Corvallis, Oregon. On the morning of Friday, September 10, 2010 we set out on bicycles from Pikeville, KY to Rosedale, VA on our quest to ride bicycles from the Oregon coast to the Virginia coast.   At one point on that day as we were riding on Highway 80 towards Haysi and I (Mark) had reached the top of a very steep hill and stopped to wait for Nancy and our two other cycling companions (Larry and Cathy Ciafoni).  It turns out that I was waiting right in front of Clynard and Anita’s home.  As I was waiting Anita came over and started talking with me.  As we were visiting coal trucks were going up and down the hill too.  It seemed like Anita knew most of the drivers as she waved to them and sometimes called out their names.

Shortly the other riders in my group also arrived at the top of the hill and were taking a rest and visiting with Anita.  Just then Clynard came out and started asking us questions about our ride and where we were from.  When we told him that we were from Oregon he said that “the most miserable 6 months of his life were spent in Oregon”.  We’re pretty proud of Oregon so we asked him to tell us more.  He told us that part of his training in the Army during World War II was spent at Camp Adair in Oregon.  What made it miserable was that it seemed to him that spent 6 months in a foxhole half filled with water and that he mainly remembered that Oregon was wet and cold (which is true about half the time).  As it turns out Camp Adair, now Adair Village, is 8 miles from where we live!  He had spent time in close proximity to where we now live!  This was an amazing connection.

What was also amazing to us was that in just a few minutes we learned just how wonderful and kind Anita and Clynard were.  We could tell that they genuinely cared about people, even strangers, and we could also tell that they loved God.  They made a lasting impression on us.

On this past Friday morning (February 27) my wife Nancy and I were discussing the most memorable aspects of our cross-country bike trip.  This was in response to a request for pictures and stories from people who had ridden across the country on the Trans-America Bike Trail as 2016 will be the 40^th anniversary of the Trans-Am.  The request came from Adventure Cycling Magazine who is putting together a book of pictures and stories for the 40^th anniversary.  As we reflected on our trip I mentioned the couple that we met at the top of that steep Appalachian hill in Virginia and Nancy and I agreed that this was a memorable moment.  What I regretted was that I didn’t remember their names, because if we were going to submit our encounter with them as our Trans-Am memory, it would help to know their names.  One thing I did remember was that in our conversation with Anita and Clynard was that Clynard had been in the insurance business.  I pulled out our pictures and fortunately Clynard was wearing a shirt with the BIA (Belcher Insurance Agency) logo on it.  Through that and a little poking around on the internet we learned their names.  Sadly too, we learned of Clynard’s recent passing.  We also learned that the memorial service for Clynard was held on Saturday, February 28, 2015.  In his memory we rode our bikes from our home through the former Camp Adair on Saturday.  While there we took a moment to reflect about our brief, but memorable encounter with Anita and Clynard in 2010.  We are grateful to have had a few minutes with them.  I post the picture I took of Anita and Clynard on the day we met to this website.

We know that this is a difficult time for you.  It is our hope that you have fond memories of Clynard that you will treasure forever.  We also know of Clynard’s faith and your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who provides great peace now and hope for the future!

Grace and peace,

Mark and Nancy Johnson

Corvallis, Oregon