Clyde P Chaffin

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that our family announces the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend to all, Clyde P. Chaffin, on March 23, 2025. He lived to celebrate his miraculous and joyous 100th birthday with friends, family and fellow veterans.

Born on March 13, 1925, in the poor hill country of eastern Kentucky, he left home at 16 years old to find a better way of life for himself and his parents. He worked in shipyards in California, aluminum plants and the Civil Conservation Corps in Washington. When WWII started, with his parent’s consent, he enlisted at age 17 into the United States Navy. For the next 30 years he served his country proudly and advanced to the top enlisted rank of Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9). His sea duty assignments included wartime duty on the battleship USS California, followed by assignments on USS Midway, USS Osberg, USS Achernar, and in 1964, USS Turner Joy, which was involved in the infamous Tokin Gulf Incident. Shore assignments were in Lakehurst, NJ, Annapolis, MD, Alaska, Illinois, Japan, and finally Brooklyn, New York.

During that 30 years of naval service, he married the love of his life Charlotte E. Hindley. They have been married 73 years. They have two children, Ralph and Carol that traveled the world with him.

Even after retirement, Clyde continued to support the U.S. Navy by becoming a Civil Service manager for commissary stores in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach, VA locations. He did this for 17 years until he finally retired to the golf courses in sunny and warm Pensacola, Florida. In 2011 he and Charlotte decided to move to Dallas, GA to be closer to family as they aged, but they stayed very independent.

Clyde is survived by his wife, Charlotte, son and daughter in-law Ralph and Shon, daughter and son-in law Carol and Larry, grandchildren Melissa and Brian, Brian’s wife Jeena and their two children, great grandchildren Grayson and Sawyer.

He was preceded in death by his father, mother and three brothers.

There is an traditional saying that is shared at the passing of all personnel in the U.S. Navy, “We wish him Fair Winds and Following Seas” on his final journey to his Heavenly Father.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, please donate to St. Jude’s Children Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?

A visitation for Clyde will be held Sunday, March 30, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home, 2950 North Cobb Pkwy, Kennesaw, GA 30152, followed by a funeral service at 4:00 PM.