Dr. Clarence A. Topp Jr, age 84, of Marshfield, Wisconsin, passed away on March 29, 2026 at the House of the Dove. He was born on April 24, 1941, in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the son of Clarence and Lucile (Rollhagen) Topp. Clarence graduated from Clintonville High School, Northland College, and Marquette University School of Dentistry.

Clarence was united in marriage with Patricia “Pat” Cleveland on June 3, 1967. In 1969, they made their home in Marshfield, where Clarence became one of the first dentists of the Marshfield Dental Clinic. Together, Clarence and Pat embraced life with enthusiasm, sharing a love of the outdoors, the culinary arts, and welcoming others into their home. They were especially devoted to the games of curling and croquet—helping establish the city’s curling club and maintaining a regulation croquet court in their yard—where they delighted in teaching others the strategy and enjoyment of each. They found particular joy in gathering around great food and conversation and treasured the beauty and tranquility of their land near Rice Lake, Wisconsin, where they often retreated to relax and reconnect.

Clarence will be remembered for his kindness and generosity, his sense of humor, and his deep enthusiasm for life and for the people around him.

Clarence is survived by his niece, Erica (Steve) Burg, and nephews Jeremy (Carmina) Topp, and Benjamin (Tanya) Topp, his many great nieces and nephews, and Vicky Topp, his sister-in-law. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Ronald, wife Pat, daughter, Debora Knutson, and son, Dennis Knutson.

Clarence and Pat cherished their special relationship with Peg and Randy Hartwig and their two children, Abigale and Anthony. The family extends its sincere gratitude to them, as well as to the wider village of support that surrounded Clarence. Their kindness and care made it possible for him to remain in Marshfield.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 am on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Rembs Funeral Home, Marshfield with visitation from 9:30 am until the time of service.

What follows are Clarence’s final reflections.

Many years ago, Clarence had a vision that came to him, seemingly out of nowhere, yet it seemed so very vivid, the story stays with him until this March day in 2026 when he gave it breath and told it to this writer. He said this imagery just made his life seem so real, so purposeful and that it has had so much meaning. He wanted this story to be used as the culmination of his life story. Clarence agreed that in some ways, describing something like his life feels a bit ineffable, yet this imagery is the closest he can come to telling you what has been the meaning of his life journey.

Clarence imagined himself as a grain of sand, blowing through the desert, creating microscopic stories along the way as he gathered with other grains of sand, forming sand dunes, lying in the warm sun, then scattering once again to form another dune or swoop through the many valleys that make up the landscape of a beautiful sun kissed dessert.

This experience, encompassing his senses, allowed him to fathom the gathering of things, and the dispersal… much as he has associated with people all of his life, gathering the stories of relationships along the way, feeling the joys and the challenges, the depths of the valleys and the bright lights of the sand dancing over the heights of the dunes.

Clarence returned to talking with a reverent voice of “all the people,” he met in his lifetime, the people who came and went in and out of Clarence’s life, and yes, the people who Clarence encountered as he went in and out of their lives. This is how he remembered his life, made up of all the memories created moment by moment, through encounters, conversations, shared experiences, with yes, the people… here we return to his vivid imagery of the grains of sand… the sands of time… the incredibly rich and wonderful dance of Clarence’s life.

There had been some difficult times in his lifeline when Clarence thought to himself, “This is for the birds, we’re going nowhere with this situation,” and then the sandstorm would scatter the grains of sand, and “things would turn out okay.”

Yes, these were indeed, Clarence’s words as he pondered the heights of the dunes and the depth of the valleys, all undulating through the years of his life. He brought up a story that caught his attention and stayed with him, especially in the midst of his journey with ALL.

“The Parable of the Farmer who Lost His Horse,” or, as Clarence remembered it, “Lessons on Non-Jugement & Impermanence.”

“Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer who lost a horse. All the neighbors came around that evening and said, ‘That’s too bad.’ And, the farmer said, ‘Maybe.’ The next day the horse came back and brought seven wild horses with it. All the neighbors came around and said, ‘Why, that’s great, isn’t it?’ And, he said, ‘Maybe.’ The next day his son, who was attempting to tame one of these horses and was riding it, was thrown and broke his leg. All the neighbors came around in the evening and said, ‘Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it?’ And, he said, ‘Maybe.’

The next day the conscription officers came around looking for people for the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. All the neighbors came around that evening and said, ‘Isn’t that wonderful?’ And, he said, ‘Maybe.'”

Clarence mused over the memory of this story, told to him by Peggy, who got it from Brian, who picked it up when he and Kathleen were reading some Buddhist Koans, which came from other humans, all grains on the sands of time. Yes, you may wonder, is that like the sand in an hourglass? Clarence may have mused, “Could be,” as he pondered the scope of his life and the sand in his own hourglass.

He continued, “This infinitesimal spec of sand, so small in its own unique way, yet so extraordinary in its largeness of being, is so imperatively real, much like the extraordinary stories that make up the fullness of each human life.” This is how Clarence contemplated his life, as he considered all the wondrously sculpted highs and lows, and the multitude of people he met and therefore, became indelibly imprinted with the memories.

Clarence mused about the bumping into relational experiences as one rolls along the pathways of life, much like a tumbleweed zigs and zags and rolls its way across the great desert landscape, and with this, he paused and said, “I’ve never seen a tumbleweed.” Moments later he mused, “My life has been very full, complete with wonder and enriched with the people I met along the way. It’s okay I never saw a tumbleweed.”

Clarence reflected on the invisible things about life that surprise us and redirect us in a multitude of ways, and even the ironically ineffable nature of poetry and art as expressed by people. He thought these two things seem to be as one, and he wondered why some people don’t seem to realize they are the same thing, the blending of creativity with the lives of people who engage in it and express it, much like his beloved Pat manifested her creativity through glass, painting, and illustration. Her life was poetry in motion, as she expressed herself through the many mediums that made up the chapters of her life. Her art was her poetic expression of her experience in the life she shared with Clarence. He reveled in the memories of the many ways he facilitated opportunity for her creative expression.

Sharing they did, parenting Debbie and Dennis, spending time on the land, skipping over the dunes, swooping through the valleys, enjoying all the people they met, got to know, and the adventures they had with each other along the way. Memories of Pat brought a sweetness to Clarence’s smile, as he spoke of all the things they did together, the many things Pat taught him, like hunting, cross country skiing and scuba diving in the cold deeper lakes of Wisconsin. Pat would say, “Come on Clarence, let’s try it together!” and “Off I would go,” he said, “to buy the stuff and then off we would go.”

Stories of life with Pat and Dennis and Debbie were many, and the culmination of these were the sun kissed sweet moments when Clarence & Peggy went to the land to mingle the grains of Pat and Debbie with the soil of the land they all, so loved. “And,” Clarence said, “Someday my grains of sand will be free with theirs again.”

These are the stories arising from the many memories Clarence participated in creating in his lifetime. Memories created with Pat, Dennis & Debbie, with friends like Dean, Dave, Tom, Peg, Brian and Kathleen. Clarence mentioned many friends throughout the conversations about his life, reiterating that there were such a multitude of friends, they all were too numerous to mention.

Clarence wrote himself into the stories of each of our lives, sparkling like a grain of sand in the sunlight, reminding us again and again, “Go on, and live, know I am sad to go, even as I delight in the idea of skipping along the sand in the desert with loved ones once again.”

And you, dear ones, he has written himself into the stories of your lives and may you go on and live his love forward, writing yourself into the stories of the lives you touch, on the sands of time. Namaste’ as Clarence recognized this greeting from the Buddhist tradition, “I see the light in You.”

After many conversations of listening to Clarence and writing down his thoughts he wanted to convey about his life, this essay was read to him and he gave a thumbs up and said, “It’s perfect.” And then he continued, “There may be some who don’t like this too much, but I like it.” He wanted to make sure this was published as his obituary and read during his memorial service.