Clyde Rucker King

Clyde Rucker King passed away at the age of 80 on March 13, 2016. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death. He died at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Clyde was born on August 23, 1935 in Levelland, Texas, and he grew up in Dublin, Texas with his parents Clyde and Mildred King, and his brother Kenneth. He is preceded in death by his parents. While growing up, Clyde was involved in the Boy Scouts, and Marching Band. He was, and continues to be, very close to his brother Ken, and, later, with his sister-in-law Terry. Clyde met the love of his life Isabella in 1960, in Salt Lake City, Utah. They married after a brief courtship, and moved to California. Clyde and Isabella were married for nearly 56 years, and had four children – Cathy, Seaton, Caroline, and James. In addition, Clyde was an active and involved Uncle to his nieces, Kelly Svenson (47), Nicole Vasquez (45), and Krista Campos (43). He was also a loving Grandfather to Kailyn and Emily and Step Grand-father to Joshua, Bryanna, Brandi, and Ryne. Finally, he was a Great-Uncle to his Grand-Nieces and Nephews – Jessica, Samantha, Alyssa, Javier, Annika, Brayden, Kasey, and Brianna. Clyde valued family above all else. He was happiest when they were together and spending time with each other. Clyde spent much of his life in Pasadena, California working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Mechanical Engineer. While working at JPL he was involved in several significant projects, including; Pioneer, Mariner, Viking, Voyager, Galileo, and Deep Space One. He retired in 1995, after 33 years of service. Thoughts and Condolences may be sent to Clyde’s family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com While Clyde did not speak about his work too much at home, there is a memorable situation that the children remember. In 1974, shortly after the launch of Voyager 1, there were mechanical issues with the spacecraft. Clyde and the family were on a family vacation at the beach, and Clyde was recalled by JPL. He was picked-up from his vacation and flown to Cape Canaveral, Florida. While he was there, he repaired the Voyager 1 Spacecraft, and assisted in making changes to Voyager 2 prior to its launch. Both of the Voyager Spacecraft are sending signals from space to this day, far outlasting their life-expectancy. During his life, Clyde was always active. He enjoyed camping, hiking, back-packing, rock climbing, fishing, traveling, and carpentry. He was known as a handy-man, and you could always find him “fixing” stuff around the house. His love of the outdoors was passed on to his children, who continue many of the same activities today. Clyde is remembered as a having an incredible work-ethic, as having great character, and as respectful to everyone. He was welcoming to those that entered his extended family, and treated them as “one of the family.” A Celebration of Life and visitation will be held at Leitz-Fraze Funeral Home and Crematory on Sunday March 20, 2016 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Clyde Rucker King

August 23, 1935 - March 13, 2016