Obituary of Clyde Thomas Amburn

On July 6, 2022, Heaven gained a true and faithful servant, an American hero, and a true southern gentleman in every sense of the word. He was 96 years old.

Clyde Thomas Amburn was born in the small town of Henderson, Texas on October 1, 1925, to Denver and Clyde Amburn in a small two-bedroom home. He was the youngest of four children.  They were very poor and worked hard for everything they owned, but they were rich in love and happiness. At the age of 17, in the midst of World War II, he enlisted in the Navy to fight for the country he loved so much.  He saw and engaged in battles unimaginable and came home with wounds that never fully healed, yet it never stopped him from raising a family or engaging in a hard day’s work.

Through the years of his long life, he reveled in many things the world had to offer him.  In fact, he never stopped talking about, even on his last days, how he was the luckiest guy on Earth. He loved his family deeply, many friends, and friends that became family. Memories spent with them were deeply embedded in his heart and he was so grateful for treasured times spent.

In his childhood the inventions that had the biggest impact on him were indoor plumbing including a bathtub, a washing machine, and a telephone.

The phone became an important part of his adulthood, and he landed a job for United Telephone Company and worked his way quickly up to management in which he stayed for 40 years.  He spent time in White Salmon, Sunnyside, Hood River, OR Poulsbo, WA, and Grandview, WA where he lived with his wife and youngest daughter for 15 years. He was always very active in any community he lived—as city councilman, Rotary and Officer of Elks Club organization, Yakima Valley Chamber of Commerce and even fire commissioner in Port Townsend, WA where during retirement, he and his wife Jeanie built a home together. Over the years Tom and Jeanie traveled to many places including their time shares in Marco Island, FL and Whistler BC. They took joy in many ski trips, boating, and fishing.   After that, they moved to Eagle, ID for 17 years, bought a 5^th wheeler and joined two RV groups. Campouts, road trips, and chats around the campfire with dear life-long friends became embedded in his memory. During his last years, Jeanie and Tom moved to Pasco where he enjoyed spending time with his family.

Besides his family, he always had a love for dogs.  His childhood dog, Ring the bulldog was the first one to greet him when he came home from the Navy. He also loved his hunting dog, Butch, but one of his most beloved, was his giant schnauzer, Queen! He was devoted to caring for his dogs and became a schnauzer lover—Heidi Lu always loved sitting on his lap, Princess after Queen, and then Duchess.

Many of these memories made him feel as if he was the luckiest guy in the world.  Fishing was one of them and he was one of the best.  He looked forward to his many trips to the San Juan Islands with Margy, Lee and Chris on their boat and loved the hard day of work that a sailor must do. Catching fish, putting out crab and shrimp pots and eating fresh seafood made him so happy.  You never wanted to take Tom to an all you can eat crab place because he could eat more crab in one sitting that anybody.

Gardening was also another favorite of his. You name it and he probably grew it at one time in his garden.  Turnip greens, collard greens, and beet greens were a staple of his diet which probably had something to do with his long life.

Tom dominated being the 12^th man on the field…he loved his Seattle Seahawks and Boise State Broncos! He was thrilled to attend football games and he loved a game party with his loved ones.

He also never let a day go by that he did not enjoy a good cup of strong coffee and for breakfast almost every day, bacon and eggs!

He was loved by many, and he greeted every person he met with a warm hug and big smile. To know Tom was to be reminded of the Maya Angelou quote “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. And he always made you feel like you were welcome and loved.

He is preceded in death by many loved ones including his parents, Denver and Clyde Amburn, his sister, Audrey Pickard and his two brothers Harry and Billy Wayne; his mother and father in-law, Don and Kathryn Rochat; his brother-in-law Lee Gavin, and his nephew, Chris Gavin.  

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Bonnie (Jeanie) Amburn, his daughters Lisa Schutt (Thad) and Jan Putnam (Ray) and his two sons, Alan Amburn (Lori) and Dan Amburn (Diana). Also, his grandchildren Sofia Schutt, Josh Amburn, Susan Cobb and Drew Amburn, Tylor and Jenny Putnam and “special” grandkids, Maddie and Ben Williams. His sister-in-law, Margy Gavin. He is also survived by many great grandchildren and friends.

As a Navy man, he loved the song, Anchors Aweigh. "Anchors aweigh" means the anchor is no longer touching the bottom and the ship is officially underway. 

So, beloved Dad, Grandpa, friend,

Until we meet once more:
Here's wishing you a happy voyage home.

Navy's stern call:
Faith, courage, service true,
With honor, over honor, overall.

His family would like to express their sincere gratitude for the men and women that cared for Tom at the Walla Walla Veteran’s Home.