Guy Raymond Claybourn

Biographical Sketch

Guy Raymond was born on 20 August 1897 in Kell, Illinois, to Cashus and Rose Claybourn. In June of 1918 he enlisted in the armed services and served during World War I. In August of 1918 he set out overseas and served in England, France, and Belgium. He returned in August of 1919 as a sergeant. Upon returning Guy worked for Texaco as a bulk gasoline dealer and later as a real estate broker in Palacios, Texas. On 29 April 1920 he married Blanche Louise Kirkwold.[Blanche Kirkwold was born on 29 April 1898 in Starbuck, Minnesota, the daughter of Henry Kirkwold (1870-1955) and Julia Heglie (1867-1906) of Norwegian descent.]

Intriguingly, during World War II Guy served on the Jewish Welfare Board in Palacios, Texas, but there is no evidence that he converted or considered himself a member of that faith. Guy died of a heart attack on 24 November 1963. Blanche died on 28 August 1982. They are buried in Palacios Cemetery in Matagorda County, Texas.

Descendants

1. Guy Raymond Claybourn Jr. was born on 13 May 1921 in Palacios, Texas, and in 1937 he graduated from Palacios High School. In 1939 he attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps but quotas were full, so he worked as a carpenter’s helper on construction at Camp Hulen, which had been converted into an anti-aircraft training center. In December 1940 Guy traveled to Burbank, California, where he learned sheet metal work and began at Lockheed Aircraft working on the Lockheed YP-38 airplane. He was promoted to leadman on the Fuselage/Center Section. He bought a bicycle instead of a car and used extra money for flying lessons, beginning in August 1941. On 7 December 1941 he made a solo cross-country flight required for a pilot license. Upon his return to home base he was informed of the attack on Pearl Harbor, effectively grounding all non-airline civil flying within 150 miles of the coast.

   In May 1942 he applied for the Civilian Pilot Training Program as an enlisted reservist and was sworn in as a private at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on 17 October 1942. In January 1943 he reported to the Waco Army Flying School for the liaison pilot rating check ride and was promoted to staff sergeant. In May 1943 he joined the 935th Field Artillery Battalion as a liaison pilot and remained with that group until September 1945. The battalion served in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. On 23 June 1944 he received a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant in the field artillery.

   Guy flew 252 missions in an artillery observation plane during World War II, typically behind enemy lines and frequently under heavy fire. Upon leaving Germany in March 1946 he had logged about 986 hours of which 391:20 was combat time flown in 252 missions. He was released to reserve status, promoted to first lieutenant in the Army Reserves, and went to school at the University of Houston, graduating with a bachelor’s degree. On 1 February 1951 (on the same wedding day as his brother Marshall) Guy married to Lucille Tolleson.[Lucille Elaine Tolleson was born on 1 February 1921 in Palacios, Texas, to Thomas Argyle Tolleson (1898-1969) and Lucy Ophelia Norris (1900-1966). She was previously married to Franklin Homan (1920-1994). After her divorce from Guy she did not marry again. She died on 30 May 1993 in Victoria County, Texas, and is buried as Lucille Tolleson Claybourn in Palacios Cemetery.]

   In July 1951 he was recalled to active duty and joined the 999th Armored Field Artillery Battalion with the Eighth U.S. Army. He arrived in Korea in February 1952, joining the 204th Signal Battalion Aviation Section as a courier pilot until April 1953. Thereafter he served at Fort Monroe, Virginia, where he was promoted to captain. His service included duties at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in Missouri, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was promoted to major and served in Vietnam as a liaison and courier pilot, thereafter being assigned to Fort Wolters, Texas.

   In March 1968, at Fort Wolters, Texas, he retired as a lieutenant colonel, master Army aviator, with 8,234 hours of flying time in twenty years of active duty service. Guy had served in Africa, Italy, France, German, and Korea, among others. For all of those service years he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 14 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Medal (5 Campaign Stars), World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal (3 Campaign Stars), Vietnam Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with 20-year device), United Nations Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Medal. Guy penned a lengthy and extensive essay in the Palacios Beacon Online on his experiences in the various wars and his subsequent career as an officer in the Air Force.[Guy R. Claybourn, “Rare Breed: Recognizing Area Veterans Of World War II,” Palacios Beacon Online, accessed 22 October 2014, http://www.palaciosbeacon.com/home/features-claybourn.shtml.]

   

   

   

   Guy was a Charter Member of the Army Aviation Association, the U. S. Army Association, the P-38 Association, the Washington Artillery Veterans Association, National Museum of the United States Army, and the Cecil Lee American Legion Post 649. He was a railroad ‘buff’ and enjoyed railroading around the country and was a member of railroad associations and the Lone Star Region National Model Railroad Association. He was a founding board member of the Palacios Area Historical Association, serving terms as secretary, and thereafter as a volunteer. He was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Palacios and served as greeter. He was a member of the Matagorda County Historical Commission and the County Museum.

   Guy and Lucille adopted two children in Germany, listed below. They divorced on 8 November 1972 and on 29 November 1972 Guy married (2nd) to Colleen Sharon Talmadge Penland (born in 1934 in Indiana). She was previously married to James Leo Penland (1932-2011) from 1952 to 1971 and they had three daughters: Sharon in 1962, Sarah in 1965, and Rhoda in 1967, plus a son who died as an infant. Guy died on 22 August 2010 and is buried at Hawley Cemetery in Blessing.

   1. Clayton Allan Claybourn was born on 16 October 1957 in Heidelburg, Germany, and was later adopted by his parents Guy and Lucille Claybourn. He married Holly L. Harrison on 28 February 1981 in Matagorda County, Texas. Together they had two children.

      1. Nellie Cass Claybourn was born in 1981 in Matagorda County, Texas.
      2. Garrett Harrison Claybourn was born in 1983 in Matagorda County, Texas. He graduated from Palacios High School in 2002 and later from the Wharton County College with a degree in radiological technology.[“Hopmann-Claybourn,” Victoria Advocate, 20 September 2009.] He worked for Memorial Medical Center in Port Lavaca as a Radiological Technologist. Garrett married Tera Nicole Hopmann on 24 October 2009 at First Baptist Church in Port Lavaca, Texas. Tera was born in 1982 in Victoria County, Texas, and was a 2000 graduate of Calhoun High School and a 2003 graduate of Victoria College with a Registered Nurse Associates degree. She worked for Healthforce Home Health as a registered nurse. Their son Reid Harrison Claybourn was born and died on 13 August 2011. He is buried in Palacios Cemetery.
   2. Carolyn Guillain Claybourn was born on 29 December 1957 in Germany and was adopted by her parents Guy and Lucille Claybourn. She married on 15 August 1979 in Matagorda County, Texas, to Paul Harrison Goforth (born in 1953). They had a daughter, then divorced there on 7 July 1999.

      1. Lindsay Guilaine Goforth was born in 1985 in Matagorda County, Texas.
2. Marian Louise Claybourn was born 5 May 1923 in Palacios, Texas. She married on 29 June 1941 to Louis Edward Curran.[Louis Curran was born on 18 August 1915 in Cameron, Texas.] They lived in Houston, Texas, and had two children together. Louis worked for Schlumberger Oil Corp. Marian died on 15 April 1979 in Houston, Texas, and is buried in Palacios Cemetery. Louis died on 14 April 1993.

   1. Louis Edward Curran, Jr. was born on 13 April 1942 in El Campo, Texas. On 30 June 1962 he married (1st) Sharon Gwyn Stock (born in 1943 in Falls County, Texas). Together they had two children, but then divorced on 15 September 1971. Louis operated a company called C&D Equipment in Cincinnati, Ohio. Louis married (2nd) on 23 May 1987 in Arlington Co, VA to Sandra Mary Gill (born in 1950 and previously married to Mr. Toole). He underwent several serious heart operations throughout his life and died on 10 August 1998. He died on 10 August 1998 in Hamilton County, Ohio, and is buried there in Rest Haven Memorial Park Cemetery.

      1. Robert Keith Curran was born in 1964 in Harris County, Texas, to Louis and Sharon. He married on 25 October 1985 in Ohio to Linda L. Blevins (born about 1964).
      2. Kenneth William Curran was born in 1966 in Harris County, Texas, to Louis and Sharon.
   2. Guy Kirkwold Curran (“Kirk”) was born on 26 December 1944 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He served as a lieutenant colonel and as a master Army aviator. He was stationed at the Pentagon and was responsible for all fixed wing aircraft owned by the U.S. Army. He married a woman named Diane on 28 August 1964 and they divorced on 19 May 1969.
3. Henry Marshall Claybourn was born on 16 April 1925 in Elk City, Oklahoma. He enlisted in the Army on 20 January 1945 and served in the Korean conflict until his release date on 7 November 1946. Henry earned a B.S. from the University of Houston in 1951. That same year, on 1 February 1951, he married Bettye Lou Norfleet, a third cousin.[Bettye Lou Norfleet was born on 13 January 1925 in Houston, Texas, as the granddaughter of Lucy Belle Claybourn (1867-1949), half-sister to her husband’s grandfather Cashus Claybourn (1860-1936).] They had three children, listed below. Henry earned a master’s of science degree in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University in 1959.

   The bulk of Henry’s career was spent with Cessna Aircraft Company. With Cessna he worked as an aero dynamicist, a utility pilot, and engineering test pilot, wherein he would help design and test numerous Cessna models. He particularly loved “soaring,” which unlike “gliding” involves a craft that gains altitude or speed from rising air. In 1969 he was inducted into the “Soaring Hall of Fame,” which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the sport of soaring. The following year an award named in his honor was established by the 1-26 Association which recognizes the pilot who makes the longest straight line 1-26 flight during a calendar year (the 1-26 is a type of soaring plane). Henry died on 2 February 1970 in Houston, Texas, and was buried in Palacios Cemetery in Matagorda County, Texas, then re-interred in a Houston cemetery. Bettye died in July 1990 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

   1. Henry Marshall “Hank” Claybourn Jr was born on 28 January 1953 in Tarrant County, Texas. He has lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Like his father, he was involved with soaring.
   2. Celia Kay Claybourn was born on 28 November 1959, probably in Wichita, Kansas. She lived in Powers, Oregon, and Bryan, Texas. She did post-graduate work at Texas A&M University.
   3. John Norfleet Claybourn was born on 17 March 1961, possibly in Wichita, Kansas. He married in July 1993 in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, to Bobbie Ester Wray (born in 1966 in Dallas County, Texas).
4. Lura Nell Claybourn was born on 15 June 1929 in Elk City, Oklahoma. She married (1st) on 14 February 1948 to Robert Gaynor Raplee, a veterinarian.[Robert Raplee was born on 31 October 1924 in San Francisco, California. He died on 18 August 2009. He later married Anne Murphy.] They lived in Nashville, Tennessee, and had five children, listed below. On 27 April 1973 Lura married (2nd) Ray Edwin Anders, a retired lieutenant colonel.[Ray Anders was born on 4 April 1919.] She was a member of the United Methodist Church, Athena Club, and was an avid birdwatcher. Ray died on 28 March 1991 and Lura died on 4 July 2007 in Palacios, Texas. They are buried in Palacios Cemetery.

   1. Robert Claybourn Raplee was born on 1 October 1950 in Marion County, Texas.
   2. Richard Claybourn Raplee (“Rick”) was probably born in January 1953.
   3. Rebecca Patricia Louise Raplee was born on 2 October 1954 in Nashville, Tennessee.
   4. Randall Claybourn Raplee was born on 10 June 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee. He married on 12 November 1982 in Calhoun County, Texas, to Deborah Sue Cowan (born in 1961 in Taylor County, Texas). They had two daughters, then divorced on 13 October 1995.

      1. Hannah Grace Raplee was born in 1992 in Victoria County, Texas.
      2. Abigail Ruth Raplee was born in 1994 in Victoria County, Texas.
   5. Ryan G. Raplee was born on 14 July 1962.

5. 

   James Kirkwold Claybourn (“Jimmy”) was born on 22 March 1931 in Elk City, Oklahoma. He served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1950 in radar and electronics, and then transferred to the Air Force, serving until 1954. Soon after returning home in 1955 he was in an automobile accident and injured his leg. Jimmy’s curiosity about the world was evidenced by his voracious reading about nature, science, poetry, current events, history, and everything new to him. He enjoyed fishing, repairing electronic equipment, and gardening with his wife. He and Dorothy loved the outdoors and traveling. One of their favorite destinations was the Big Bend National Park in West Texas. He loved to laugh and always had a joke handy. Jimmy died on 13 January 2008 in Coos Bay and is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.
6. Joanne Blanche Claybourn was born on 25 October 1932 in Palacios, Texas. She married on 2 May 1953 to Carl Talmadge Dyson of Palacios.[Carl Dyson was born on 3 June 1933 in Lauderdale County, Tennessee.] They lived in Point Comfort, Texas, and had four children, listed below. Carl served as a corporal in the U.S. Army in Korea. He died on 21 November 1999 in Jackson County, Texas, and is buried there in Red Bluff Cemetery.

   1. Carl Clayton Dyson was born on 5 March 1956 in Ganado, Texas. He married Linda Diana Kasper on 11 June 1977 at El Campo, Texas.

      1. Cheryl Christina Dyson was born on 20 March 1978 in Wharton County, Texas, and died on 15 July 2011 in Jackson County, Texas.
      2. Christopher Carl Dyson was born in 1981 in Wharton County, Texas. He married on 24 April 2004 in Victoria County, Texas, to Traci Lynn Huvar (born in 1979 in Victoria County, Texas). As of July 2011 they had two sons, Kason and Cullen.
   2. Carla Diana Dyson was born on 21 August 1957 in Ganado, Texas. She married Dennis Dixon Hunt (born in 1953 in Jackson County, Texas) on 29 May 1973 at LaWard, Texas.

      1. Anthony Dixon Hunt was born on 5 September 1973 in Wharton County, Texas. He married Kristin G. Lewis (born in about 1975) on 17 May 1997 in Jackson County, Texas.
      2. Dennis Brian Hunt was born on 4 January 1978 in Wharton County, Texas.
      3. Chelsea Dyan Hunt was born in 1987 in Wharton County, Texas.
      4. Haleigh Dennise Hunt was born in 1993 in Wharton County, Texas.
   3. Sandy Bader Dyson was born on 22 August 1959 in Jackson County, Texas. He married Ruby Annette Becker (born in 1962 in Victoria County, Texas) on 23 July 1983 in Inez, Texas. They had two daughters.

      1. Jorea Nicole Dyson was born in 1991 in Victoria County, Texas.
      2. Karly Annette Dyson was born in 1995 in Victoria County, Texas.
   4. Phillip Keith Dyson was born on 30 September 1962 and died on 4 June 1979 as a result of an oil field accident. He is buried in Red Bluff Cemetary in Lolita, Texas.
7. Jon Norfleet Claybourn was born on 5 June 1941 in El Campo, Texas. He attended high school in Palacios, Texas, where he participated in sports, qualified for regionals in track and field as a senior, and played tight end on the football team as well as basketball. He was elected class Vice President and excelled scholastically, graduating in the top five of his class in 1959.

   Jon joined a band named The Jokers, where he started out playing guitar, but at the request of band leader Kenneth Mixon, agreed to switch instruments and became the bass player. The band proved to be very popular, playing current hits at many dance halls in the region. After Jon left the band to raise his family, they went on to further renown, playing larger clubs including The Dome Shadows, near the Astrodome. None other than Glen Campbell sat in with them for a few songs on this gig. Jon left the band after his marriage to his first wife, Winona Jo (Dodie) Mangum, on 19 September 1960 to provide support for his growing family. Winona was born in about 1944, making her about 16 at the time of their marriage. Jon and Wynona had three children, listed below, and divorced on 23 September 1981 in Matagorda County, Texas.

   For a short time, Jon was a mail carrier while living on Duson Street in Palacios with his wife and oldest son. The family grew in 1962 with the addition of son Lane and after moving to Bay City, he worked in the construction business for his wife’s stepdad Lindy Lane, who oversaw many area construction projects and was well-known as building the Teepee Motel just north of Wharton. In 1964, Jon was hired as an operator with Celanese Chemical Company near Bay City, and he welcomed his third son Michael to the family the same day, calling him his good luck charm. As the years went on, he decided to make a move at work which would allow him to work straight days, and became an analyzer tech. He lacked the required knowledge so he completed a correspondence course from the Cleveland Institute of Electronics in order to be free in the evenings to support his sons as they participated in sports. Jon was employed with Celanese for 34 years until his retirement in 1998.

   Jon had many interests in life, becoming a very good cook, especially barbeque. He was a mechanic and repaired his own vehicles, later passing that knowledge on to his sons. Jon continued to play his bass at home late into life and even formed a trio with new friends from Palacios.

   Jon met the love of his life, Sandra Kaye, in 1990 and they were married in 1991, thus adding two more members to the family, stepsons Christopher and Leslie. They spent 30 wonderful years together enjoying many adventures, fishing on his boat, attending local dances, going to parties, making trips to Houston for sporting events and concerts, jaunts to Las Vegas, and even a cruise to Alaska. Jon died on 27 May 2021.

   1. Jon Norfleet Claybourn, Jr. (“Jody”) was born on 19 May 1961. He married on 19 August 1995 to Beverly Kay Shearer.[Beverly Shearer was born in San Antonio, Texas, on 2 March 1951 to parents Dorothy Barina Young and Spergeon Whitfield “Spud” Shearer. (Source). She was previously married to Noble Demark Blythe from 1969 to 1974. She had two sons with him, Noble Demark Jr. born in 1970 and Justin Wade born in 1972.] Beverly was an accomplished athlete who set records and won numerous awards while competitively swimming in the Gulf Coast Aquatic Association. She was a certified Red Cross lifeguard and water safety instructor, as well as an adult handicapped swimming teacher. She was elected as a cheerleader at Bay City Junior High School while still attending Holy Cross Catholic School in the eighth grade. She was UIL state diving champion when she was 14. The softball team she played second base for, the “Sparks,” won the national championship in the 1960s. Her photograph made the cover of Cover Girl magazine when she was 16. She was “Sophomore Sweetheart” in high school and later went to school in Mexico and became fluent in Spanish.

      Beverly was a constant fixture in the concession stand at the Bay City High School baseball field for both high school and Babe Ruth baseball. She and her husband sponsored an adult co-ed softball team, “The Odd Couples,” in the Bay City Parks and Recreation League. Bev and Jody also took numerous long vacations driving and saw many sites around the country. She greatly enjoyed country dancing with her husband and friends. She volunteered with the Women’s Crisis Center. She supported paralyzed veterans and American Indian Charities. She loved to work in the yard tending her plants, trees, and roses. She most of all loved to get together with family at any time although the holidays were special, and was well-known for always remembering everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries. She was loved by everyone who knew her. Beverly died peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours of Thursday, 1 November 2012 at her home in Bay City, Texas. She is buried in Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Matagorda County, Texas.

   2. Guy Lane Claybourn (“Lane”) was born on 12 July 1962 in Matagorda County, Texas. He attended high school in Bay City, Texas.
      He married (1st) on 27 May 1984 to Beth Ann Schwartz (born in 1963). Together they had three children, listed below, and divorced on 19 February 2009 in Harris County, Texas. Lane married (2nd) to Christine Desiree Graham (born in 1959 in Dallas County, Texas), a chemistry teacher originally from Dallas, Texas. She was previously married to Orville Cleveland Bellah II from 1979 to his death in 1999 and they had two sons, Sean Jarrod in 1981 and Caleb Aaron in 1989. She then married Howard T Strickland in 2002 prior to her marriage to Lane.

      1. Stephanie Denise Claybourn was born in 1990 in Harris County, Texas. She married (1st) on 14 November 2011 in Brazos County, Texas, to Steven Ray Laxton (born in 1991 in Bell County, Texas). She married (2nd) to Heath Kirk Ramirez.
      2. Rebecca Claybourn was born on 30 December 1991 in Harris County, Texas, and graduated from Jersey Village High School (2010) and Texas State University (2014).
      3. Guy Lane Claybourn Jr. was born in 1996 in Harris County, Texas.
   3. Michael Lacey Claybourn was born on 5 March 1964 in Wharton County, Texas. He married (1st) on 28 August 1982 in Matagorda County, Texas, to Michelle Lee Wyatt (born about 1966). They had three children, listed below, then divorced there on 26 January 1988.
      He married (2nd) on 17 August 1990 in Matagorda County, Texas, to Diana Jingles Kopecky (born in 1961 in Matagorda County, Texas). She had been previously married to Gerald Monroe Hoffman from 1979 to 1983 and 1984 to 1986, and she and Gerald had a daughter Jennifer Lynn in 1984. After Michael and Diana married, they had a child Clarisa, listed below.

      1. Christina Ann Claybourn was born on 23 January 1982 in Matagorda County, Texas. She married (1st) on 3 January 2000 in Gonzales County, Texas, to Cory Gene Mayfield (born in 1979 in Gonzales County, Texas). Together they had two sons, Nathaniel and Trevor, then divorced on 10 July 2008 in Brazoria County, Texas. She married (2nd) to Darrin Edward Batchelor (born in 1966 in Wharton County, Texas) on 14 March 2013 in Brazoria County. He was previously married to Amy Lee Rector in 1991 and he and Amy had a son Tanner Allen in 1994. Christina and Darrin had a daughter, Ember.

         1. Nathaniel Allen Mayfield was born on 15 May 2001.
         2. Trevor Mayfield was born on 22 August 2003.
         3. Ember Skye Batchelor was born on 22 October 2012.
      2. Jo Marie Claybourn was born on 2 April 1984 to Michael and Michelle Claybourn. She married (1st) on 7 September 2001 to Jared Wade Eldridge (born in 1979 in Gonzales County, Texas). He served a long prison term for murder and assault committed on 10 January 2009. Jo Marie married (2nd) on 20 June 2015 to Ricky Paul Salter of Rincon, Georgia.
      3. Michael Lacey Claybourn Jr. was born on 21 June 1985 in Dallas County, Texas, to Michael and Michelle Claybourn.

         1. Karaline Rose Claybourn was born on 6 March 2015 to Michael Claybourn Jr. and Becca Kornegay.
      4. Clarisa Rena Claybourn was born on 11 June 1992 in Matagorda County, Texas, to Michael and Diana Claybourn. She graduated from Brazoswood High School in 2010.