CLYDE — It was business as usual this week at The Old Grouch’s Military Surplus in Clyde, with one glaring exception. Absent at the store that has been a landmark in this small town for 22 years was the man who started it all.

The founder of the surplus store, Buddy Glance, died at the age of 75 on June 27. But, the business will live on, family members vow.

“That’s the way Buddy would have wanted it,” said Mary Glance, his wife of 39 years. “He would have been upset that we closed the store yesterday.”

As Mary recalled how The Old Grouch’s store began, loyal customers strolled in to offer their condolences and to purchase items. This time, floral arrangements from Buddy’s funeral provided an odd contrast to the mounds of camouflage clothing, dummy hand grenades and other military and ...