Clarence "Pep" Dana Jr. of Monroe, passed away Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at the age of 84. He was born in Springfield, Mass., on May 19, 1927; his parents were the late Clarence Sr. and Priscilla (Scott) Dana. Clarence grew up in St. Johnsbury and graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1945. He was a member of the Academy ski team, and as a teenager, developed a passion for hunting, fishing and trapping. He began working part time for his father, Clarence Sr., who owned Dana Jewelry store. He married Irene Pula in 1951. With an interest in firearms and marksmanship, Clarence started a sporting goods business in the back of his father's jewelry store. His sporting goods business grew into a sizable store; he expanded to several locations within St. Johnsbury and came to be known as C. H. Dana Jr. Sporting Goods: Everything for the Sportsmen. In the early 1950s, he also began selling boats and campers from a separate location and was one of the first to enter the RV market. In 1972 he sold his successful sporting goods store and moved the RV part of his business to Monroe, N.H., not only to accommodate the expanding RV market, but to escape tax exposure by the state of Vermont and the St. Johnsbury inventory tax. Clarence was proud that he did business with a hand shake; customers will remember how they made payments by the week for guns and other merchandise. He officially retired in 1991 from the RV business, a business his son Stephen now operates as C.H. Dana RV Inc. Clarence was an avid hunter and fishermen. He was a crack shot with a rifle, making over a dozen hunting and fishing trips to Alaska and Canada for caribou, moose, mountain goat and grizzly bear. One of the caribou he shot established a Boone and Crockett record. He also made numerous trips out west hunting deer and elk. He was a member of the Elks lodge in St Johnsbury and enjoyed visiting with his 10 a.m. coffee group. He is survived by two children: Kathleen Dana of Tampa, Fla., and Stephen Dana and wife Jannette of Monroe, N.H.; five grandchildren: Juli-Rae Dorris, Ted and Kelsey Gilman, Drew and Angela Dana. He was predeceased by his wife, Irene on Nov. 20 of last year, his eldest child Christine in 1983 and a brother, Robert in 2001. Services will be held at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions could be directed to: North Country Home Health & Hospice, 536 Cottage St., Littleton NH 03561.