Clyde Havins Jr

Our dear father, Clyde Havins Jr., passed away on August 6th, 2020 at the age of 91 due to complications resulting from a fall at his home. Clyde was born in Yuma, Az. on March 4th, 1929 to Mr. and Mrs. Clyde and Mary Havins of Gadsden, Az. He married our mother, Joan Havins, on July 23rd, 1955, and they were married for 54 more years until her death in 2008. He was also preceded in death by his parents and his sister Betsy Haynes. He is survived by his younger brother, Richard P. Havins, his son Gregory D. Havins, daughter Roslyn A. Bouzanquet and his sons Kelly D. Havins, Eric C. Havins, and Douglas J. Havins. He had 15 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and many, many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews as well as many close friends that are family to all of us. Clyde was a graduate of Yuma High School and worked as a farm-hand on his fathers’ farm until the age of 19. At that time, as he once said to me, ‘Me and a buddy of mine didn’t really have anything else going on, so we decided to join the Army.’ He enlisted for 3 years but served from January 3rd, 1948 until his Honorable Discharge on October 19, 1953. Cpl. Havins was from Company B in the 38th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War where he was captured on May 18th, 1951, and held as a Prisoner of War for 27 months and 3 days until his release in August 21st, 1953. He suffered from PTSD for the rest of his life. He was awarded the Honor of The Purple Heart Medal, U.S. Korean Defense Service Medal with two silver stars, U.N. Korean Service Medal, U.S. National Defense Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, U.S. Prisoner of War Medal and a Marksman Badge (Rifle) and was qualified as a Marksman Instructor. I guess all of that dove and javelina hunting in Yuma as a kid paid off on the range. After returning to Yuma following his military service, Clyde attended the University of Arizona on the G.I. Bill. From there, he again returned to Yuma and became a Letter Carrier for the U.S. Postal Service on October 19, 1957, and served there for 27 years until his retirement in 1984. Our father was a very hard-working man and inspired all his children to work hard for their goals and never complained about the sacrifices he made to provide for his family. He worked some side gigs as well to be able to give us the ‘extras’. He also survived two kinds of cancer following his retirement. He was an avid sports fan and although baseball was his favorite, if nothing else was on TV he was just fine watching a Lumberjack Competition. Our dad was a man of few words for the most part, but he truly enjoyed and looked forward to our large family gatherings. He also dabbled in amateur shortwave and C.B radio and was a general automobile enthusiast that loved to watch just about any kind of race. He was not a fan of the heat and loved to get away from Yuma in the summer, so he would use all four weeks of his vacation time from the Post Office to take us to San Diego for the month of August to escape the Yuma heat and visit family. Clyde Havins Jr. was a loving son, husband, father, uncle, grandpa, and friend, and we will always miss him tremendously but have so many fond memories of him and plenty of Clyde-isms to reflect on for years to come. We love you, Dad. Rest in Peace. There will be a Military Funeral Service on a date that is to be determined at a National Cemetery where some of his ashes will be placed. The timing of these services is currently unknown and will also depend on the current world situation at that time. Cremation arrangements are being handled by Simply Cremations and Funeral Arrangements, 16952 W Bell Rd #303, Surprise, AZ 85374. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that donations be made in Clyde’s name to ‘Operation Restoring Veteran Hope’ https://orvh.net/ (480) 482.4889 or any group that focuses on the treatment and mental health of Veterans with PTSD.

Clyde Havins Jr

August 6, 2020