August 22, 1929 – May 5, 2015
Clyde Stelling died last week at Huntington Memorial Hospital. He was born in San Francisco California on August 22, 1929. A second-generation American of German ancestry, he was the only child of Roy and Dora Stellings. The Stellings owned a grocery store in San Francisco and Clyde worked there while attending school and before enlisting the in Air Force.
After his tour of duty in the service, Clyde began working for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in San Francisco. He became one of the company’s youngest and most successful salesmen. In the early 1950s Clyde moved from the bay area and opened the Liberty Mutual offices in Santa Ana and Long Beach. Eventually he became a Vice President of Liberty Mutual working on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Clyde and his family lived in Palos Verdes before moving to Monrovia in 1972. He opened C. R. Stelling Insurance in Monrovia in 1974 and remained active in the business until shortly before his death.
Those are the bare facts; the person was much more complex.
Listening to friends and family reminisce about the man fills out the picture. One son-in-law called Clyde “a giver” writing that “his life was characterized by a propensity to always give more than he would take.”
That son-in-law, Tim Smith, went on the write: “Those of us who knew and loved him are better today because of the positive influence he had on us. He was passionate about life and that passion extended to family, friends and even strangers. Clyde had an uncanny ability to connect with complete strangers, which was a constant source of entertainment for the family. We knew that within minutes those strangers would soon be over for drinks or dinner; strangers no more.
“His kids and extended family were all beneficiaries of his most special gift; his undivided attention. He always had time for you. During the worst of times he would ask you to tell him a success story.
Sometimes we’d have to dig deep to satisfy his expectations, but as he encouraged our storytelling we would find our way to solve our own challenges. It was undoubtedly part of his master plan. His endless encouragement and inevitable positive spin seemed to get us refocused on the positive. Interestingly, his optimism wasn’t reserved for the good times. He would light the low roads with the same high-beam optimism and unbridled enthusiasm that characterized the rest of his life. Anything was possible.
“Success was no stranger to Clyde, but in spite of his success he enjoyed in life he was ever-approachable, always in the moment and, at times, even self-effacing. Even as an adult he lived life with the enthusiasm of a boy, scouring the paper every day looking for old cars or real estate that he just couldn’t live without. He bought the old Studebaker summer home on a whim. He saw it while driving through Monrovia, liked it, and walked up and knocked on the door and made a deal to buy a house that wasn’t even for sale! He even bought a 1918 Studebaker convertible to park in the driveway. ”
It is also a tribute to the man that his other son-in-law had worked with him for many years. Tom Suess worked closely with his father-in-law, not just in business, but also in his many personal pursuits and interests.
Angela Taylor, who also worked with Clyde at Stelling Insurance, remembered that Clyde had survived the Curve Fire in 2002 by submerging himself along with his dog Bandit and a friend in a man-made pond by his Mt. Baldy Cabin while the fire burned around them. That fire ultimately destroyed the cabin he loved so much, but Clyde survived.
Angela also remembered that one of Clyde’s favorite things was hearing about the success of other people. He would ask people for positive stories and relish hearing them.
At his request, there will be no formal services. Clyde is survived by all those whose lives he touched and the entire city of Monrovia which he loved.
