With the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II, Clarence Johns’ job was to hold his ground.
Now 89 years old and living in Independence Township, he has one last battle to fight ? this time to stay in his home of more than 50 years.
‘The payments are so high, he can’t make them. He has no savings left,? said his daughter, Ann Gregg. ‘He’s going to be 90. How much time does he have left ? if he could get some help, that would be awesome.?
Johns bought 40 acres on Allen Road in the 1960s with his wife, Patricia Tisch, who is a graduate of Clarkston High School, and there they raised two children, Ann and Patrick.
‘Patricia wanted to live where the horses were,? he said. ‘Allen Road still has the most beautiful real estate.?
Most of the property has been sold off, with the last piece containing Johns’ traditional two-story house with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. It’s based on the Ewing house from the TV show ‘Dallas.?
‘I just like the design. It’s nice,? he said. ‘It’s a nice house. I like everything about it. It’s warm. It heats up easily ? I can shut it off every night.?
He refinanced it with Wells Fargo 14 years ago, during the housing bubble, for more than $400,000 with a 30-year, interest-only loan. With a weakened housing market, he now faces higher payments he’s having trouble making.
‘He called the bank, and they were like, ‘no, sorry,?? Gregg said. ‘It’s sad. He’s a World War II veteran. They take advantage of people.?
Johns is still talking to the bank, and working with the state and veterans’ office for assistance working out a lower payment, he said.
‘I’m working on that,? he said.
He volunteered for the Marines at the beginning of the war with his brother.
“I had nothing else to do,” he said. “They sent us over there in a hurry.”
He served in the infantry and engineers with the Third Marine Division in the Pacific Theater, including Guadalcanal, Guam, and Iwo Jima. He ran a crane and other heavy equipment, often under fire.
“Once I had to move 500 pound bombs to shore and we took some mortars,” he recalled. “A Japanese mortar shell landed right beside the ship, 2-3 feet. If it had hit the ship, I wouldn’t be here today.”
After the war, he went to Ohio State University under the GI Bill to earn a degree in civil engineering.
He has worked in the industrial building trade making metal wall panels for new construction since 1955. He had an office in Troy, and still works on it at his home.