Lawrence Earl Hamilton Clement

Lawrence Earl Hamilton Clement of Chicago, IL, passed away at home on December 6, 2025. He was born in Gainesville, FL, and also lived in Greenville, SC, and West Hollywood, CA.

Lawrence was the husband of Henry Hamilton Jr., father of Christina (Joshua) Primeaux and Lawrence Clement III, and grandfather of Laura Da Silva, Ana Da Silva, and Mia Primeaux. He was the son of Carmela Clement and brother of Lesley Kelley and David Clement.

A Spanish educator by profession, Lawrence was also an active member of the Chicago Communist Party. He will be remembered for his dedication to his family and his work.

Aftercare arrangements entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options of Schiller Park, IL

Warning by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.