Howard Melvin Cloepfil

Howard Melvin Cloepfil passed away on February 10, 2014 in Fortuna, CA at the age of 88 after a brief illness. Howard, AKA Goose, was born in Salina, KS as the second oldest of 10 children to Don and Lola Cloepfil. He was a child of the Dust Bowl and those experiences molded him to be the extremely hard worker of his adult life. His family eventually landed in Newberg, Oregon to find work. He graduated from Newberg High School where he excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He was very close to brothers who all played sports together at that time. Howard served in the Air Force during WWII as a special courier in Washington, D.C. While attending Oregon State University he married Gwenn Switzer in 1949. He went to work for J. C. Penney Co. right out of college and worked hard for them until his retirement. He was manager of the J. C. Penney store in Corvalis, Oregon when he retired. Howard was a member of Elks, American Legion and for a time, also a member of Rotary. After retirement, he was a commissioner for American Legion baseball in Corvalis, Oregon. He loved keeping his garden and house in top working order and kept track of all of his affairs right up till his illness. Howard was the recorder of ancestor history and did lots of genealogy for the family. He loved to watch sports live, on television and even listen on the radio, sometimes having 3 games going on at the same time. Howard was a great story teller with a razor sharp memory. Known for his teasing in the family, he was a character and after meeting him, no one could forget him. He is survived by his wife of sixty-four years, Gwenn Cloepfil of Fortuna, daughter Tamara Clohessy of McKinleyville, son Scot Cloepfil (Carol) of Eureka and his two grandsons Terence Clohessy of Fairfield, California and Travis Clohessy of Eureka. He is also survived by five siblings and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Hospice, Redwood Memorial Hospital and Sequoia Springs for all the care and help these last three months. There will be no service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Hospice or find a way to help a sports team of your choice. Howard loved American Legion baseball, the Humboldt Crabs, high school, college and pro sports. He would love people to keep sports going in his memory. Arrangements are under the care of Goble’s Fortuna Mortuary, Fortuna, California.

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