John Clatworthy, born in Detroit, Michigan, lived a remarkable life inspired by an old friend’s advice. He pursued higher education, married his beloved Gretchen, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, including tours in Okinawa, Alaska, Vietnam, and Hawaii. John’s military career was marked by valor, including a Bronze Star with Combat V and establishing a clinic in Vietnam. He later worked at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, where he continued to serve his country. In retirement, John dedicated himself to family, friends, and community, doting on his grandsons John Zachary and Jared Mars. His unwavering spirit and love will be forever cherished by those who knew him.John Clatworthy, born in Detroit, Michigan, lived a remarkable life inspired by an old friend’s advice. He pursued higher education, married his beloved Gretchen, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years, including tours in Okinawa, Alaska, Vietnam, and Hawaii. John’s military career was marked by valor, including a Bronze Star with Combat V and establishing a clinic in Vietnam. He later worked at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, where he continued to serve his country. In retirement, John dedicated himself to family, friends, and community, doting on his grandsons John Zachary and Jared Mars. His unwavering spirit and love will be forever cherished by those who knew him.
John Clatworthy passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 29th, his grandsons Jared and JZ holding his hands. He was born in Detroit, Michigan to British immigrant parents Frank & Lucy Clatworthy. He enjoyed life in the big city and hunting and fishing in the Michigan woods with his brother Jim. They were close brothers, until Jim’s death in 2018. How can I summarize his life? It was many things. Perhaps the best thing to do is to give you snapshots of the stories he loved to tell. Advice from an old friend of John’s father set his life in motion. The friend had worked at a laboratory called “Los Alamos” during World War II; he told John to “check it out.” John went and attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on a Navy ROTC scholarship. John traded in his baggy pants and blue suede shoes for Levi’s, boots, and a Pendleton shirt. That sealed the deal for Gretchen Spear, a beautiful college student, born and raised in New Mexico. The young couple were married on June 5, 1954, the day after they both graduated, and the day before he was commissioned a second lieutenant at the U.S. Marine Corp. Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he learned to fire the 105th howitzer, a proud “gunner” all his life. He was off to Okinawa, Japan. While loading the ship, John grabbed an extra Jeep after the corporal driving it had left it on the dock with the keys in the ignition. “You want a Jeep?” his sergeant said. “Sure,” John said, and he climbed into the hold. Specialized training in “advanced weapons” at the Nevada test site; the wind shifted during the open-air test, and he went home in a paper suit, with a photo of the mushroom cloud as a souvenir. During his tour in Kodiak, Alaska, he encountered a charging grizzly bear, which was narrowly stopped by a group of armed Marines. A young Marine who had taken hostages was stopped from further violence when Captain Clatworthy approached him unarmed and convinced him to surrender. Eighteen months in Vietnam, where Major Clatworthy earned a Bronze Star with a Combat V and helped build a clinic for the local population. Lieutenant Colonel Clatworthy’s final tour of duty was in Oahu, Hawaii, with the Fleet Marine Force of the Pacific. During his 20-year career as a Marine, John and Gretchen had two children, son Jon, born in 1957, daughter Alycia, in 1964. Gretchen was a perfect partner, handling the frequent moves and separations with efficiency and grace. After retiring from the military, John began a second career as an employee of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. John and Gretchen settled into their permanent home in Pleasanton. There were stories to tell about this career, too. Organized the weapons inspection team after the first Iraq War, led by John’s good friend Jay, who walked the streets of Iraq with an axe he called his “master key.” John worked with the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) and NUWAX, keeping our country safe and making sure his teenage daughter had t-shirts to wear to school. After all, no secret government cleanup job is complete without some “cool merchandise” to take home. Twenty years passed at “the Lab” and then he retired for good. Did John slow down? No. There were trips with Gretchen on a steamboat up the Columbia River, to New Mexico and over the Canadian Rockies by train, and a cruise or two to Alaska. Lifelong friendships were made, famous neighborhood parties were organized, and “Nana Gretchen” and “Papa John” were a loving extra set of grandparents to the neighbors’ children and eventually the neighbors’ grandchildren. John and Gretchen doted on their own grandchildren, John Zachary, born to their son, and Jared Mars, born to their daughter and son-in-law. John loved his grandsons and they loved “Pops.” He was there for Jared’s hockey tournaments, JZ’s baseball games, and the marching band halftime shows. John had dedicated his professional life to his country, now he dedicated his personal life to friends, family, and the community. Gretchen was active alongside him until her health became frail and they moved to Heritage Estates, for help, and lived happily until Gretchen’s passing in 2020. “Pops” turned 90 in 2021 and just kept going. He was so proud to see JZ serve in the Marine Corps, then begin a career as a sheet metal apprentice, and Jared get accepted to and graduate from SJSU. John went to the ballet with daughter Alycia. Met his son Jon for dinner every Friday. Treated grandson JZ and his friend Hunter to lunch once a month, laughing with the waitress about how much they ate as he sipped his ever-present cup of decaf coffee. Organized fire drills for the senior community at Heritage, which he mischievously planned during Bingo. Items on John’s bucket list were checked off in 2022 when he traveled to England to visit the family pub in Cornwall and attended the Camp Pendleton celebration of St. Barbara’s Day (patron saint of artillerymen). The details of the raucous Thanksgiving dinner in 2023 at Harris’ Steakhouse are best left unsaid. In January 2024, a stroke stopped the man friends and family thought unstoppable. John fought for 6 months as a Marine to regain control of his body; it was not to be. He made a decision to change course, choose hospice and free himself from the cage that his body had become. Not defeat, but a truce. Lay down his weapons, tear down the tent, let Taps play and march toward the stars. Survived and loved by his son Jon Clatworthy, daughter and son-in-law Alycia Clatworthy, Jeff Rafnson, grandsons JZ Clatworthy, Jared Rafnson and Hunter Pace, brother-in-law and US Marine Winfield Spear and wife Nancy, sister-in-law Julie Clatworthy and nieces Jennifer Hain, Naomi Martin and Paula Spear. “Semper Fidelis”, “Always Faithful” is the motto of the US Marine Corps. Faithful to his country, his family, his friends, how perfectly John’s amazing life is summed up in those two words.
