Obituary of Clinton E Jarvis

Clinton E. Jarvis died on May 30, 2018, at the age of 93. He was born in Burlington, VT, and was brought up on Isle La Motte. He served in the Navy during WWII as an electronics technician's mate, trained to the highest levels in troubleshooting enemy aircraft recognition systems and other equipment, and took part in the Battle of Okinawa. After hostilities ended, his LST was tasked with transporting and repatriating Japanese citizens from China. He received an honorable discharge in 1946, finished high school, and obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Vermont on the GI Bill. He moved to New York City and in 1955 married a young actress named Vivian Dorrance; daughter Christina was born there. They moved to Cambridge, MA, where daughter Catherine was born. Clinton pursued a Master's degree in food technology at MIT but left the program after a year, deciding that putting additives in food was not his life's work. He was then employed at Edgerton, Germeshausen & Greer, a U.S. national defense contractor, where he set up their chemistry lab, and went to Enewetak to observe nuclear testing. In 1958, he and Vivian moved to Tucson, Arizona, for his health, where their son Mark was born. Over the years, he was employed as an electrical engineer at Melpar Corp., Pan American Airlines, Bell Aerosystems, and the Pima County Air Pollution Control Department. After retirement, he worked part-time for his friend Tom Morgan at Desert Laboratories. Clinton was a lifelong learner with a strong belief in the importance of education. He led discussions for young adults at the Wilmot Library for the Great Books Foundation. In addition, he was a founding member of the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society and was active in the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society and the Tucson Humanist Society. He loved classical music and sang in the chorus of the Tucson Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the Tucson Symphony Chorale, and the Tucson/Arizona Opera Company. He was a master gardener and with the help of blessed VA volunteers, maintained a lush container garden until the last 18 months of his life. Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2009, he powered through treatment and was in remission but suffered increasing disability due to side effects of the radiation. He is survived by his wife, Vivian Jarvis, aka Francesca; his children Christina Jarvis (Martin Munro), Catherine Jarvis, and Mark Jarvis; and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Frank and Inez (La Bombard) Jarvis, and his brothers, Gerald and Howard Jarvis. The family is deeply grateful to his caregivers at the Arizona State Veteran Home and Catalina Post-acute Care and Rehabilitation Center, but most particularly to the wonderful staff of the Southern Arizona Veterans' Administration Health Care System and their home health team, under whose care he enjoyed an extra nine years of life. We especially thank Jo Sullivan, Dr. Baehr, Dr. Bays, and Col. (Ret.) Gopal Khalsa, who visited him faithfully for four and a half years and who arranged for him to travel to the WWII memorial in Washington, DC, on an Honor Flight; Clinton enjoyed himself immensely and talked about it for months. We also thank his friends John and Diane Boley, who traveled from Las Cruces to visit, and Miriam Huber, whose healing touch ministrations eased his passing. A celebration of life will be held in McBride Hall at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St., on Sunday, July 15, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society, PO Box 84759, Tucson, AZ 85728-4759; the Arizona Opera Company, 1636 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85004; the Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church Healing Touch Ministry, 2331 E. Adams St., Tucson, AZ, 85719; or Honor Flight Southern Arizona, PO Box 32649, Tucson, AZ 85751.