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Commemorating The Tiger Legacy

An avid Tiger football fan, Missouri ‘Mo’ as he was known, began predicting the scores of M.U. games with an ad in the paper as well as a large banner on his store’s windows. An eternal optimist, ‘Mo’ always picked the Tigers to win—with remarkable accuracy! His son, John, worked in the store from the time he was 15, cleaning, helping with deliveries, even selling merchandise. By the time he was 18, he was an accomplished salesman and knew he wanted to work in the family business. Father and son often sat up until midnight talking about business and life in general. After working 30-35 hours per week to pay for college, John graduated from M.U. in May 1972 with a degree in business and became the manager at Cleek’s Appliance. Part of the game plan was for “Tiger” John to start making his predictions next to his dad’s the following season. But tragically, on November 19, 1973 Elmo Cleek was killed in a small plane crash coming back from the Iowa State football game. Suddenly, at the age of 23, John had lost his father, his boss, and his best friend. Married, with a 2 ½ year old son, John knew he had to pull himself together and support his family including his mother and 12-year-old sister. Relying on those late-night sessions with his dad, John kept the business going and continued the tradition of predicting M.U. football games. In 1976, John added rent to own to the Cleek’s offerings. In 1987, he decided to get out of retail and operate solely as Cleek’s Rent-To-Own, throughout Mid-Missouri. His son, Tiger John Jr. worked in the business during the summers while in high school and then part-time during college to help pay his own way through undergrad at M.U. By 1993, Cleek’s had 3 stores, with more on the horizon. Tiger John Cleek served as president and owner of Cleek’s Home Furnishings for the next 49 years, opening several more stores and establishing the rent-to-own part of the business in the late 1970s. Just like his father, John was a loving family-man and extreme football aficionado of the Missouri Tigers. He went on to co-found the Missouri Rental Dealer’s Association (MDRA) and served for over 14 years as an influential leader on the national board of directors for the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO). For the last two years of his life, John lived with ALS and even raised $83,000 for the Walk To Defeat ALS. He leaves behind a legacy of true faith, generosity, and a deep dedication to the communities throughout his beloved home state of Missouri. His son, John Cleek Jr., lives these same values every day as he proudly continues the family business.