HOWARD H. CLAASSEN

HOWARD CLAASSEN Obituary

Howard H. Claassen Howard Claassen died peacefully at home on Dec. 27 at the age of 92. He was born in Hillsboro, Kansas on April 10, 1918 into a German Mennonite family and community. The youngest of seven children, Howard survived all his siblings and spouses. He attended Tabor College in Hillsboro where he met the love of his life, Esther Wiebe. They married August 29, 1941 and shared 64 years together. He finished his BA degree at Bethel College in Newton, KS. After obtaining a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Oklahoma and a post-doctoral appointment at Ohio State University, Howard moved his family to Wheaton, Illinois in 1952 where he was professor of physics at Wheaton College until his retirement in 1980. During that period he also worked at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago and Hebrew University in Jerusalem, contributing his specialty in Raman spectroscopy. He was heavily involved in ground-breaking research on the chemistry of the noble gas elements, and was an author of many articles in scientific journals. After his retirement he demonstrated his versatility and forward thinking by building, single-handedly, a solar home in the mountains near Ashland, OR. He was known for his always novel approaches to home construction and maintenance. In l989 he moved with Esther to Tacoma and they became active in the University Place Presbyterian Church where he is known by many for his committed study of the bible ;and his efforts to help the less fortunate. For ten years Habitat for Humanity benefited regularly from his carpentry and plumbing skills. In college Howard learned to enjoy singing, and all his life contributed his rich baritone voice as a soloist, and in church choirs and ensembles. From his childhood he was an expert horseman and had horses whenever possible throughout his life. Consistent with his Mennonite heritage, Howard tended toward pacifism and was outspoken in his antiwar convictions during the Vietnam war and recent history in America. He was also a devout Christian, and found that his antiwar stance often was at odds with the culture within Christian institutions, including Wheaton College. He was never afraid of making his views known, but was able to do so in a way that inspired respect from those of differing opinions. He worked hard to establish peaceful alternatives, most notably the Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) program at Wheaton College, which continues to send students to developing countries for six-month internships Howard is survived by his 3 children John, Eileen and Nancy, 5 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. The family buried Howard's earthly remains at the New Tacoma Cemetery, and a memorial service and celebration of his new home in heaven will be at 3:00 on Friday, January 7th at Univ. Place Presbyterian Church, 8101 27th St. W. Univ. Place, WA 98466. Remembrances can be made in his name to UPPC-Kenya Mission.

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Published by News Tribune (Tacoma) on Jan. 4, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for HOWARD CLAASSEN

5 Entries

Helen Claassen Ens

January 8, 2011

Dear cousins John, Eileen, and Nancy,
I believe it was a prompt from God to look for Dave and Ruth on fb, so I could hear of Uncle Howard's passing this week. What an amazing man he was, and so used by God to bless others, including my family. I still think of Uncle Howard each Christmas, remembering "Poor little Jesus boy" that he often sang at our family celebrations. No one else could give a rendition like his! He was a Doctor but so humble in his attitude. I think he and my dad were much alike. He was the one that kept the Claassen family in touch after my grandparents died. Even after I had my own family, he continued to be interested in our travels and wherabouts.
Please accept my sincere sympathy as you mourn, but also as you're happy about his reunion with his Lord. I'd love to connect more with you, Eileen.

January 7, 2011

Dear John, Eileen, and Nancy, I was privileged to know your father for the decade of the 70s as his colleague in the physics department at Wheaton. Howard was a wonderful Christian colleague and I value every minute I was able to spend with him. He was a great physicist and as you may know such a lousy chemist that he didn't know better than to do what the chemist's said was impossible. He was so proud of his family and I was so proud to know him. I suppose he managed to keep the middle H. private even in his death. I remember he would not tell me what it was, but I think I found out once from some document.
My prayers are with you. My father was born only a few months before Howard and lasted almost as long. I recall that Howard retired early because, among other things, he did not expect to live long. It was always such a treat even in later years to get a phone call from him. He would call the physics department and ask for me. The secretaries never knew who he was and had this puzzled response.
Blessings on your families and thanks for sharing your wonderful father with some of the rest of us.

Gary Shallcross

January 6, 2011

I met Howard in 1970. As a young man, I had gone to churches that preached and tried occasionally to practice miraculous healing. Once I discussed this subject with Howard and he said that while God might indeed miraculously heal someone, it would also be the work of God if that person got better in the natural way. This affirmation that the natural world and all its creatures were the work of God and reflective of his character has stayed with me all these years. Howard pointed out that while a natural law like gravity might cause someone to die if they fell from a great height, it also made possible enormous good because it laid a foundation for virtually all the actions we take to sustain ourselves. I think Howard had great confidence in God because God had created a universe that was not arbitrary, but follows knowable laws, which enables even the humblest creature to grow and make progress on the journey of life. Howard shared the life God had given him with those in need and followed the gospel's command to give to the poor rather than indulge one's appetites or curry favor with the powerful. He did so, I think, because he knew how much greater than any human kingdom were the works of a creator God. Thank you Howard and thanks to John, Eileen, and Nancy and the fellowship at UPPC for making a place for Howard in his passing.

David Klaassen

January 5, 2011

Eileen, Nancy, and John - Regrettably, Ruth and I knew Uncle Howard mostly from afar, but we admired him deeply and greatly enjoyed the occasional opportunities to spend time with him. I'm currently reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and must say that your father reminds me of him - willing to stand by his unpopular beliefs, blending high intellect and deeply personal Christian faith, and living out a "full-service" faith that went far beyond personal pietism. We know that he was prepared and eager to meet his maker, but we grieve with you in your sense of loss. Dave and Ruth Klaassen

Larry Kelley

January 4, 2011

Eileen -
Dottie and I send our heartfelt condolences to you and your family at this time. I enjoyed getting to know your dad in the Men's Ensemble at UPPC. Wish we could be there to help celebrate Howard's life.
In Christ,
Dottie and Larry Kelley

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