Bunker Clevenger

Charles “Bunker” Clevenger, 85, went home to be with his Savior on December 31, 2025 after battling cancer for 10 years. He was born in the backwoods of Doddridge County, WV on August 14, 1940.

Bunker was number 9 out of 13 children born to the late Paul and Dessie (nee Brown). He was quickly introduced to farm life and spent his early years tending to livestock, doing chores, and helping out on the family property after school. At age 19, he moved to Elyria, Ohio and went to work at the General Motors Fisher Guide Plant as a tow motor operator. When it closed, he was transferred to the General Motors Plant in Columbus, where he worked until retiring in 1990.

Unable to sit still for any length of time, he worked for general contractors and roofed houses after retirement. Fueled by an unrelenting work ethic, orneriness, and wild ramps, Bunker never encountered a job that was too much for him. He built several barns on his farm by himself, including a horse barn without the use of power tools. He loved being in the hills of West Virginia, where he would hunt, ride his 4-wheeler, tend to his prized vegetable garden, sit around camp fires telling stories, and proudly sit atop his tractor to brush hog or cut hay. He also enjoyed working with his horses and accumulating various treasures at local auctions.

Though small in stature, Bunker was giant in heart. He made countless friends and never knew a stranger, and would go out of his way to help someone in need. He loved to make others laugh, even if the joke came at his own expense. He was fluent in teasing and sarcasm, and will be remembered for his one of a kind storytelling. One of the most stubborn individuals to walk the earth, there was a right way, a wrong way, and Bunker’s way.

He loved his family and friends, but his biggest passion was Jesus. He lived to tell others about how God’s love had redeemed him. He was steadfast in his faith, active in his church, and enjoyed attending revivals. He wanted everyone to know the same joy he found in his relationship with the Lord.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Cheryl (nee Mitchell); daughter, Julie; brothers David (Judy) and Daniel (Mary Lou); sisters Nancy (David) Knight and Judy Bishop; brother-in-law Pat Hall; a host of nieces, nephews and extended family; honorary son and daughter, Joel and Amy Goff; and honorary granddaughter, Lexi Goff.

He was preceded in death by sisters Helen (the late Leonard) Anderson, Mary (the late Dusty) Rohde, Bette (the late Royce) McMillan, Dorothy (the late Eugene) Adams, Louise (the late George) Henry, Sara Jane (the late Gerald) Spencer, and Peggy Hall; brother Paul Edward (the late Jeanette (nee McKinney)); and brother-in-law Donald Bishop.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Doddridge County Park, 1252 Snowbird Rd., West Union, WV on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Friends may gather afterward until 5:00 PM.

His family wishes to thank the amazing nurses from Mercy New Life Hospice in Lorain, Ohio.