A Love For The Ages

Sam & Sherri Clem

Written by: Michelle Horton

Love is the origin of the human story. It connects us to each other and drives us to provide and protect one another. Love does not just give us warm feelings and inspire affection; it is more profound. It allows us to bridge divides, cooperate, and show compassion to other human beings.

True love is a way of life that involves putting others before yourself. It is an active, daily choice to commit to another person, care for and serve them. It is selfless, sacrificial, forgiving, and healing. Sam and Sherri Clem are the picture of true love.

A TALENTED WOMAN

Raised on a farm by her parents, Sherri Waters-Clem describes life as a good time growing up in a lovely Christian home. Her father was a vocational agriculture teacher, and her mom was a beautician, owning an in-home salon. The family lived in Carthage, Texas, and Sherri enjoyed the company of her older sister, Sylvia Hunt, growing up. The two sisters were very active with every type of pet imaginable on their property, including a hawk, baby goats, horses, and cows. “My sister loved to talk, but I was more quiet. I enjoyed reading and singing,” Sherri says. “I knew the Lord at seven years old and was called into the ministry at age 15, but that was not acceptable in my faith tradition. I would volunteer and work for churches until I entered the ministry, full time, at age 45.”

Sherri began conducting music at choir camp at the age of 16 as a volunteer. After high school, she earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Art degrees at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. At 27, she became the Director of Music and Fine Arts in Center, Texas. After serving there for 12 years, she began teaching at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, serving as their Director of Music and Fine Arts. Later, she was offered a job in Santa Fe, New Mexico, leading music at St. Bede’s Episcopal church. During that time, Sherri worked freelance for two years, doing commercials and movies and even starring in the daytime show Young and the Restless. She even sang for the Santa Fe Opera Educational Outreach Program, touring through New Mexico and Texas, teaching kids about opera music.

A career change was needed, and Sherri began teaching at Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico. “Then, one day, a kid put a bomb in the heat register over my desk, and I watched the Los Alamos Bomb Squad retrieve the bomb. I said, ‘Ok, God, I’m not supposed to be here; what do You want?’ I drove back to my apartment in Santa Fe and pulled the mail out, and there was an ad for a Choir and Fine Arts Director in Jasper, Texas. I applied and I did not hear anything for about two and a half months. Finally, I called one day and said, ‘I sent an application, and I want to make sure you got it. I assume you have filled the job already.’ The man on the other end of the line exclaimed, ‘No, I lost your stuff; get yourself here; you’re hired!’ I had a wonderful eight years in Jasper, Texas,” Sherri recalls.

In 2003, Sherri believed the Lord brought her to Texarkana, where she accepted the Director of Music and Fine Arts position at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church. She just retired from that position two years ago. “I am still part of the choir and am grateful they welcomed me to stay part of the fellowship,” Sherri says. During her time in Jasper and continuing after her move to Texarkana, Sherri furthered her education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, earning a master’s degree in Theology.

Over the years, Sherri has enjoyed traveling to Russia, Africa, China, Hawaii, and the Drake Passage. She has spent many hours scuba diving all over the world. She is also the mother of four bonus children, two of whom are still living.

A SERVING MAN

Sam Clem grew up in the community of Wamba in Texarkana, Texas. He lived directly across from his Mema and spent many hours at her house. “We had monkeys, animals, three Great Danes, and a goat named Tulip. It was the country way of life. My father was a character, so everything we did was bigger, better, and wilder than you could imagine. Growing up in a construction family, I loved to play on bulldozers. We built roads between Texarkana, Nacogdoches, and Sulphur Springs,” Sam says.

Sam attended the University of North Texas and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business. Shortly after, while running the operations division for a furniture company and living in Dallas, Sam welcomed his first daughter. It was then that a child near the family home was abducted and taken into Mexico. That is when Sam realized he did not want his children to grow up in Dallas. Sam, along with his first wife and children, moved back to Texarkana. He owned a business that built beautiful homes in the Riverlands, planted grass all over the Four States Area, and had a recycling business for the papermill companies.

In the early 1990’s, the Lord impressed upon Sam that He wanted his time. Sam says, “I felt led to champion the special-needs community in town. I immediately resigned from the recycling company, sold it, and began my career at Runnin WJ Ranch in Texarkana, Texas. I feel as though I have a great purpose in my life. Daily, the children at the ranch come in, grab your finger, and ask you to be your hero for the day. To me, that is the definition of joy.”

The transition from a construction and business lifestyle to a ministry life was hard. It led to a mutual dissolution of his first marriage, but Sam knew that God had a specific purpose for him. “Christ is my life, and serving the Lord is a great honor. I want to be nothing because if I am, then Christ is everything,” Sam says.

Sam retired from the Executive Director position after 20 years at Runnin WJ. He still works at the ranch as Director of Development. “We are beginning to assist the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) by creating jobs for our special needs adults to assemble hygiene kits for the organization,” Sam says. Sherri adds that the kids who rode horses at the ranch 20 years ago are grown and have aged out. These kids ask Sam to help them find a job and a reason to get up and out in the morning.

Family means everything to Sam, who is blessed with two daughters and multiple grandchildren. “I love picking up my grandbabies from school and taking them to the Community Café at Williams Memorial, where we feed people. I try to teach them how to be servants,” Sam says.

A MUTUAL FRIEND’S INTRODUCTION

Sam was hard at work as the Executive Director of Runnin WJ Ranch in 2017, the year the couple would meet. “Being in ministry meant that I had my head down, stayed busy, and never looked at other ladies,” Sam recalls. Little did he know, Sherri had been a volunteer for the ranch for seven years, and he had never looked up or noticed her. Sherri says, “I had seen his back through the glass wall, but he was always busy on the phone and raising money for the ranch.

However, the two were not initially introduced at the ranch. It was through their mutual friend Steve Ledwell. Sherri describes a certain phone call by saying, “Steve called me one day and said, ‘Hey, are you coming to my thing?’ I replied, ‘What thing Steve? Do you mean your birthday party? I sent back my reply. Am I not on the list?’ Steve said, ‘I didn’t look at the list. Are you coming? I replied, ‘Yes, I am coming to your 60th birthday party.’ Steve then asked me if I would go with his friend. I told him that it all depended on who his friend was. When Steve told me it was Sam Clem, I replied, ‘That’s a good man. Yes, I will go with your friend.’”

Steve Ledwell had the same exact phone call with Sam, asking for him to attend his party with Sherri. “I was scared, and I knew she was Methodist, and I grew up Baptist. Steve vouched for her character and I said ok,” Sam says. Shortly after, Sam called Sherri and asked if the two should meet before the party. Sherri agreed it would be a really good idea, and Sam asked her how they could meet. Sherri replied, “Well, you can walk out into the [horse] ring at nine o’clock Tuesday morning.” Sam was shocked as he had no idea Sherri volunteered at Runnin WJ. That Tuesday, Sam walked out into the arena with Sherri and her horse, Rojo, and you could have heard a pin drop. Sam never walked out into the arena, and he was meeting a single woman.

Sherri and Sam met for the first time and decided to go to Sonic for lunch that day. Later, the two attended Steve’s birthday party together. “Dating older is different. You are comfortable in who you are, but sometimes other people have to get comfortable with you,” Sam says. “We had a barrel racing event at the ranch, and everyone kept asking, ‘Where is Sam?’ Once they found me in the stands, eating a peach that Sherri had brought me, they asked, ‘What is Sam doing up there with that woman?’ I had a protective staff at the ranch, and they wanted to ensure I was ok.” Sam also prayed that his daughters would understand his relationship with Sherri but would come to find out they were understanding long before Sam was. They constantly spoke of Sherri and fell in love with her.

The couple dated for two years before marrying. “We were both so careful with each other,” Sherri says. Sam mentioned that Sherri was the type of girl you dreamed of when you were called to the ministry. “Not only is she a long-legged gorgeous lady, but she is godly. There is peace in her soul that most people don’t have, and I find that amazing,” Sam says. With Sherri in the ministry herself, she understood Sam’s position and the demands required.

WILL YOU?

The couple shared their first kiss nine months after they began dating, and the proposal came about two years after their first date. Before the proposal, Sam had visited Disney World with his family. Sam and his daughters visited the China Pavilion, purchased a Che-San, a foldable fan, and had a marriage proposal hand-calligraphed on the fan in Chinese. Sam returned from Disney and was sick. Sitting at his kitchen table, he presented the fan to Sherri as part of the proposal. Sherri thought it was lovely, and Sam asked if she could read Chinese. Sam exclaimed, “It says, ‘Will you marry me, Ms. Sherri?’”

Sherri paused and said, “I don’t know; ask me again in a couple of days.” Sherri was unsure if Sam was delirious because he was very sick, running a high temperature and in a cold sweat. Four days later, Sam healed and was no longer running a fever, so the couple visited Twisted Fork. Coming back from the restaurant, Sherri instructed Sam to pull into Bringle Lake, and they settled on a park bench. There was a monster harvest moon, and Sherri turned to Sam and said, “If you meant that, do it right. Sam knelt down, and it was lovely.”

I DO!

The couple enjoyed an intimate wedding at the Trek Walkway inside Bringle Lake Park in Texarkana on April 26, 2019. The mutual friend that introduced Sam and Sherri would now become their ring bearer, and the couple enjoyed the Dick Eckstein Jazz Group playing music. Family and friends attended the wedding that evening; every moment was special. Sam’s grandchildren, Lucas and Ainslee Collins, walked before the couple with Sam and Sherri’s bibles, and Reverend Karen Jones officiated the wedding.

The newly married couple enjoyed a reception at their home in Texarkana, complete with cheesecake from Twisted Fork. In July 2019, they honeymooned in New York, where they saw several Broadway plays and visited many tourist attractions.

WORDS OF ADVICE

When it comes to premarital counseling…

 “I believe it is crucial to have premarital counseling. I have seen it work in the marriages I have done. You need to discuss the tough stuff before you have to deal with the tough stuff. You each need to know the other person’s strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly, their values,” Sherri says. “Sam and I talked about finances, family, how we would deal with end-of-life issues and much more.”

When it comes to finances…

“You need a joint account that you both contribute to that the bulk of the bills is paid out of. Then, have separate money with which you can have fun,” Sherri says.

When it comes to spending quality time together…

“We begin each morning at 5a.m. with coffee and a Bible study,” Sam says. We use the Upper Room devotional book and then ask each other what we gained from the devotional.” The couple then discusses the day’s events, which allows for the best communication.

When it comes to social media…

“Minimize your interaction!” Sherri says. “The majority of the people who spend mass amounts of time on social media wind up dealing with depression or are left with the feeling of measuring up. That is not part of a successful life.” Sam adds, “I think we get lost in our technology sometimes and forget about the important relationship in front of us.”

When it comes to disagreements…

“Always repeat back to your partner what you think you heard and ask them if that is correct. It will solve problems before they arise,” Sherri says. The couple chooses to put each other before their own desires, eliminating many disagreements.

In general, the couple advises living within your means, doing things with your spouse, and not being afraid of silence. “You don’t have to be talking all the time. It’s ok to be sitting in the living room, quiet. Know that you are secure in your marriage and safe with your spouse,” Sam says. Sherri adds, “Have separate interests, interact with other people, read, and learn things. This allows you to bring something fresh to the table.”

A LOVE FOR THE AGES

Sherri, 74, and Sam, 65, truly have a devoted love for one another. “I don’t know if it can get any better. Sherri accepts me for who I am, and I admire who she is, and we click,” Sam says. Sherri adds, “It is always an adventure!”

Sam describes his wife as solid, grounded, and Christ-like. Sherri describes her husband as genuine, kind, and giving. Together, the couple have parented six children and have 29 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The love their oasis on their back porch, watching the hummingbirds, and soaking in their hot tub as they spend time with one another. This April, they look forward to celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary.