Clyde "Red" P. Eaton

Clyde P. Eaton, "Red", passed away peacefully, in Portland, Oregon on February 22, 2013. Clyde was born May 5, 1922, in Springfield, Massachusetts to Harry and Elsie Eaton, the fourth of four children. He lived his earlier childhood years in Deleuth, Minnessota. At approximately 7 years of age, the family moved to Pasedena, California where Clyde graduated from high school.. He had shared memories with us about his time as an "ice cream man", and he played the trumpet in the Pasedena Rose Parade. On June 18, 1940, he enlisted in the Army. After basic training, he was stationed in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, where he worked in communications. He was also the "bugle blower" for revelry every morning. Rising early in the morning continued to be a part of Red for the rest of his life. He developed a great appreciation for the beauty and ruggedness of Alaska. He often shared memories of his experiences there. After leaving the Army, he met and later married Katherine "Kay"Mahoney, on August 21, 1949. The were married for 62 years. At first, they lived in Burbank, California, and eventually bought their first home in Van Nuys, California. Three daughters soon followed: Patti, Terri, and Kathy. In about 1960, the family moved to Northridge, CA., and later to Westlake Village, California. They eventually moved to Portland, Oregon. Initially, Clyde worked for the Pacific Telephone Company where he discovered he was a natural at working outdoors climbing telephone poles and splicing cables. This was hard work to continue with forever, so eventually he went to work for the Underwriters Laboratories as an electrical inspector, until his retirement at age 62. After retirement, he enjoyed using his motor home as a "dressing room" on location for movies and commercial shoots. For leisure time, Clyde especially looked forward to his annual fishing trips to Lake Crowley and would often come home with a string of trout. He always owned a boat and camper, and enjoyed many vacations with friends and family. He became a terrific slolom water skier. He became skilled a shore starts, taking off from the shore and walking out of his ski as he landed... thereby sometimes he never even got wet! You could tell by the expression on his face how much fun he had, and was a joy to watch. He and Kay enjoyed many happy years with the Hidden Hills Boat Club, where they both developed lasting friendships. Their Westlake home was the perfect place to entertain and enjoy many leisure boat rides on their "party boat", which was tied up at their back door. Eventually, in 2004, Red and Kay joined their three daughters in Oregon, so as to be closer to family. Clyde was a loyal husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his three daughters, and their families, as well as two brothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews, all of whom will miss him greatly. Service Information