Clyde Elvin Eastman

Clyde Elvin Eastman, 80, of Las Cruces, New Mexico died Saturday, February 4, 2017. His wife Wanda was beside him as he passed. Clyde was born July 1, 1936, in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of Clyde Elvin Eastman and Inez Elizabeth (Hughes) Eastman. He and his mother lived in Corydon, Iowa with his maternal grandparents until 1946 when his mother married Bud McElfish. Thereafter Clyde considered Bud to be his father. With that marriage he gained a stepsister, Colene, and later a half-sister, Janell, and the family lived on various farms in Wayne County, Iowa. Proud of his Midwest agrarian roots, Clyde liked to say he was just a simple country boy. Clyde graduated from a one-room rural school in 1950, from Corydon High School in 1954 and from Iowa State University in 1958. He also earned an MS degree from the University of Hawaii and a PhD from Cornell University. Clyde was united in marriage to Kathleen Pearl Sampson on February 14, 1978, and to this union three daughters were born: Kristin Kahala, Evadne Elise and Chelsea. He was united in marriage to Wanda Ava Morgan on July 6, 2002 after a courtship of five years. Wanda brought two daughters, Sara Elizabeth and Holly Robin, to the family. Clyde was a sociologist and a lifelong student of cultures. He served with International Voluntary Service in Vietnam from 1959 to 1961. He worked with North Carolina State University on an agricultural development project in Puno, Peru from 1963 to 1965. Clyde joined the faculty at New Mexico State University on July 1, 1968 and continued to do rural development work in New Mexico and abroad. He lived with his family and worked in The Gambia and Jordan, and did short-term assignments in several other countries. At New Mexico State University Clyde taught courses in sociology and in world food security and conducted research in rural development issues across New Mexico. Clyde considered the two years that he served as Chair of the New Mexico State University Faculty Senate to be one of the highlights of his professional career. That experience allowed him to appreciate the institution in a broad context. He retired from New Mexico State University on February 1, 2000 after more than 31 years of service. Clyde loved to travel and to experience cultures by living in them. He always considered experiences abroad to be an important part of his continuing education. For example, The Gambia was the least developed country he ever lived in, but that experience taught him more about the variety of family forms than all the text books he ever read. He continued to travel after his retirement. He and Wanda visited their daughters in Africa, Europe, and Central America, lived together in Japan, and traveled throughout the world. Accompanying Wanda during her Fulbright sabbatical fulfilled a long-held dream to live for a time in Japan. Clyde was also active in the community serving seven years on Mesilla's Planning, Zoning, and Historical Review Commission, including several years as Chair. He began attending the Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces in 1989 and served on the Board of Trustees for 12 years including two as Congregation President. He also attended the Zen Center for a number of years. He was an active member in several other community and professional organizations. In June 1975 Clyde bought his first house, an old adobe in Mesilla. He and Kathleen renovated it, doing much of the work themselves. He often said the house owned him during the four and a half years of renovation. He was either working on it every spare minute or feeling guilty for not doing so. He loved to irrigate and care for his orchard and to work around the place. His first major retirement project was to build a proper workshop where he spent many happy hours. Clyde read widely and took an avid interest in local, national, and international politics. In retirement he especially enjoyed having coffee or beer and conversation with friends and former colleagues. He always looked forward to reunions of his high school class and of the International Voluntary Service alumni. Another of his projects in retirement was to pull together a family history of photos, genealogy and biographical sketches for his daughters. His fondest memories in later life were of the activities and events of his daughters as they grew into adulthood. He immensely enjoyed his grandchildren as they began to arrive. Sharing with Wanda the success of their daughters - each one strong and engaged in the world following their own path - brought him joy. Clyde was preceded in death by his parents, Inez and Bud McElfish, stepsister Colene Easton and nephew Rhett Thrane. He is survived by his wife Wanda; by his daughters and their families: Kristin, Kyle, Luke and Owen Eastman Reardon; Elise, Cassady and Bodhi Clyde Roberts; and Chelsea, Bradley and Lydia Langer; by his stepdaughters and their families: Sara, Javier, Cecilia and Rafael Prada; and Holly and Andre Silva; by his sister Janell and her family; and by his in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces, 2000 South Solano Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88001 on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission, PO Box 386, Las Cruces, NM 88004. PDF Printable Version Service Information
Friday, February 10, 2017 10:00am,
Getz Funeral Home Chapel

1410 E. Bowman Ave
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001






Interment Location

Masonic Cemetery

Address Not Available