An Ode to My Dad: The Man Who Did It All Himself

Some people make noise. Others build quietly—brick by brick, day by day.
My dad, Clemens, was the latter.

Born on 19 May 1956 as one of eleven children in a greenhouse farmer family, he learned early that life wasn’t going to hand him anything.
So he built it himself. Not for applause, not for credit—but because that’s what you do. You roll up your sleeves. You figure it out. And you get on with it.

He worked for the same company for over 30 years. Reliable, unshakable. He wasn’t one to jump ship or chase trends.
He showed up. Always. For his colleagues. For his family. For me.

At home, he was even more of a builder. Our family house didn’t just become a home because of memories—it was his hands that made it.
He renovated it himself. Added an entire floor. Wired things. Fixed things. Solved problems with quiet pride.
No contractor. No fuss. Just patience, precision, and a kind of self-taught genius.
He even became the go-to IT guy in the family, long before it was common for dads to troubleshoot networks and install software.

That’s what I remember most: how capable he was.
How much he believed in taking matters into your own hands.

Don’t wait for someone else to fix it.
Learn, adapt, act. Even if you’re scared. Even if it’s hard.

But some things you can’t fix.

In 2012, my dad thought he had the flu. He was tired. Looked a bit yellow. We didn’t think too much of it—until we had to.
By the time we got the diagnosis, it was already stage 4 pancreatic cancer. No early warnings. No second chances.

He died on 4 July 2014. I was 29.

He’s the reason I started For Youth—because he never waited for someone else to fix things.
He built. He solved. He stayed capable in the quietest, strongest ways.

And when he passed away too soon, I learned the hardest truth of all:
Time is fragile. And once you lose your health, it’s already too late to protect it.

So I took that lesson and built something of my own.
For Youth is for people who refuse to wait around.
It’s for those who want to stay sharp, strong, and self-reliant—for as long as life lets them.

We exist to help people stay unstoppable—no matter their age.
By defending the body and mind from the inside out, with science, safety, and simplicity.
Not just to add years, but to continue to do the things that you love for as long as possible.

It’s not just about looking young.
It’s about staying capable. Staying curious.
Staying in control—like my dad always was, in the ways that mattered.

He didn’t get enough time.
But maybe, because of him, others will.

This one’s for you, Dad.
The man who did it all himself.
And who taught me to do the same.

If you’re thinking of someone you love, hold on to what they taught you.
The quiet strength. The way they showed up. The way they built, fixed, cared.
That doesn’t disappear.

It becomes part of how you move through the world.
And if you're lucky, it becomes part of what you pass on.

– Jeff, founder at For Youth