Clarence Augustus “Gus” Linke III, 76, of Morrison, IL, passed away on April 6, 2023, at Monmouth Medical Center South Campus, in Lakewood, N J.
He was born at St. Peter’s Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ, to Clarence Linke II and Angelina (Palumbo) Linke on August 14, 1946. He grew up in Jamesburg, NJ, with his two sisters. He attended Jamesburg High School (Class of 1965.) He was a standout athlete lettering in Soccer, Basketball, and Baseball. He developed lifelong friendships that he valued all his years.
Gus attended William Penn University in Oskaloosa, IA. While at William Penn he took up Boxing. He graduated in 1969 with a BA in History. He loved his time at William Penn and was an active Alumni until his passing. He met more lifelong friends, including Mary Jane Tadie. He married Mary Jane in 1970, and they had three children, Clarence A. Linke IV, Aaron M. Linke, and Megan C. Linke.
He taught history for 32 years in the Morrison School, IL, district. He coached Golf, Football, Basketball, and Baseball during his 32 years of teaching. One of his greatest accomplishments was in 1986 when he resurrected the MHS Baseball program. He took this project on without pay and provided most of the funding for the program, due to his love of coaching and belief that Morrison Athletics should have a Baseball team. Gus was an outstanding Baseball coach, dominating the Conference teams from 1986-1995. He coached the program for 17 seasons, and his 320 wins ranks him in the IHSA list of winningest Baseball coaches. One of his favorite quotes was, “One day you’re stomping the grapes, the next day you’re drinking the wine,” is still remembered by many former players.
He earned his Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from Western Illinois University. After receiving his Master’s degree, he became the Athletic Director at Morrison High School and served in this role from 1994 to 2014. He was at home in this role. In 1995 he started up the Girls Softball program. He attended all the sporting events and took pride in supporting all the coaches and players. He was the Class A Athletic Director of the Year in 2001. He was inducted into Morrison’s High School Hall of Fame, both as a Coach and as A Friend of Athletics for all his accomplishments. These include: helping create The Wooden Shoe Trophy between Morrison and Fulton High School Football teams in 1977 (a tradition still carried on today); in 2000 he helped start the Morrison High School Hall of Fame; he compiled and created documents to keep track of the many facts and stats from Morrison’s sports history.
While he enjoyed his coaching and sports, he loved painting miniature figurines, fishing, and playing Senior Softball, and animals. Gus had a soft spot for dogs and cats and was a big believer in helping homeless animals. He loved fishing with his sons and grandchildren. Even through his aggressive Parkinson’s Disease, he was able to take his youngest grandson, Liam, fishing for the first time. He loved playing Senior Softball and was instrumental in starting the Quad Cities Senior Softball League. His team, The Hardy Boys, traveled all over, both Nationally and Internationally, winning several Championships. He helped start the Quad Cities Senior Softball Hall of Fame and became an inductee by his peers, as well.
He is survived by Mary Jane Linke; his children, Clarence “Gus” Linke (Michelle) and Megan C. Linke (Dr. Scott Marwin); five grandchildren, Alyssa Kirby, Augustus Linke (Grace), Colton Linke, Brhenan Linke (Kendra), and Liam Linke-Marwin; sisters, Donna Garvey and Candy Crelia (David Crelia); niece and nephews, Kenny Garvey, Brian Garvey, and Richelle Garvey; dear family friend, Josephine Sullivan.
A Funeral service will be held at 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 14, 2023, at Lester Memorial Home, 16 W. Church Street, Jamesburg, NJ.
Entombment will follow at Holy Cross Burial Park, East Brunswick NJ.
Visitation for family and friends will be on Friday, April 14, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the service.
A Celebration of Life will be held on May 13, 2023, in Morrison, IL, with details to come.
In lieu of flowers, donations in the name of Clarence “Gus” Linke may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation https://www.michaeljfox.org and the Morrison Athletic Boosters, 100 E. Knox Street, Morrison, IL 61270.
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