Most people honor a loved one who has passed away by recounting how great they were, and the greatness they achieved. Their accomplishments, successes, the relationships they made, and the generations of people they touched.

Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than all others.

By this definition, and to me, his son, Clarence was a great man.

But my father was also a GOOD man. Touching lives of so many, asking and expecting little in return… we will always remember him for the good he did for others.

He had goodness in his heart and felt it his obligation to commit to this in all aspects of his life.

Clarence overcame many challenges in his life. He was only a year old when his mother passed away. He battled cancer for many years… and beat it. He was also diagnosed with dementia in his later years

You may not have known about all of these things, because dad never wanted attention placed on him, and he certainly didn’t want to put others out.

Throughout these challenging times, my father was still there for us. And remained in our life and our hearts, until his own heart stopped beating on February 12th, 2024

But rather than focus on how Clarence died let’s remember him for how he lived and the GOOD he did for all who knew him.

I first met Dad in 1969, when I was born. Little did I know at the time how influential he would be to me. He taught me how to behave, play sports, read, and write… but i learned most from him by following in his footsteps.

I remember him attending every game, and activity no matter how small the event. He was our biggest supporter. And was the first person I called when something good happened to me. He was my hero.

In addition to taking on the role of hero, Clarence was a husband, brother, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend to all who knew him.

He was born October 19th, 1933 to Toso and Sachiko Haseyama, the middle child of 3 children.

Clarence grew up in Hawaii, spending his childhood on Maui playing sports, and mostly doing his best to stay out of trouble.

Clarence went to Lahainaluna high school, graduated, and moved to San Diego to pursue a business degree at San Diego state university.

But before he finished his degree, my father enlisted in the Air Force. He wanted to do what is right, serve a greater purpose, and dedicate himself, and his life, for the greater good of his country.

Although dad never became a pilot, whom he deeply admired, he was proud to serve his country. Even up until the final months of his life, he still talked about the exciting adventures he had when he was deployed.

Some of those events were even true. But, even though many of his memories were fictional, his stories represented who he wanted to be. It became a big part of his identity.

After the Air Force, Clarence went back to college to finish what he started, and completed his degree at SDSU.

My father’s other, and arguably his greatest accomplishment, was marrying his lifelong companion, Jeanette, who has been and continues to be the pillar of our family. And together they raised 2 exceptional kids.

Along with finding the love of his life, dad discovered his second love … bowling. My earliest memories of dad were playing all kinds of sports with him, but the one sport that he mastered, was bowling.

I remember spending every Sunday with him, practicing. It started with him teaching me to bowl. And as I grew up, i got better… I was good… but I never beat him. Dad didn’t brag about how good he was, but I can tell you first hand that he was exceptional.

Dad bowled in leagues, traveled across the country for tournaments, and winning his fair share. He did this as long as his body could handle it, and rolled the ball for over 60 years.

Dad wasn’t just committed to bowling, dad’s life centered around commitment and loyalty.

After moving from his childhood home in Maui, he lived in San Diego for the rest of his life He was hired by the city of San Diego after college. And held this job for 30 years until he retired. He was happily married for 60 years!

My father’s commitment has been inspirational to me, and hopefully to all of those who were lucky enough to know him.

Although there are so many more traits and qualities that I can “talk story” about, I wanted to close with my appreciation for the sacrifices he made. He worked tirelessly for decades to ensure he could provide for his family. He took care of us, his kids, his grandkids, and even their kids!

Now.. for those who knew my Dad best, you knew that he may have occasionally complained about doing some of these things. This was what we affectionately called grumbling. And we laughed about the things he would grumble about. From the taxes he had to pay, to the suboptimal play of our local sports teams, my father felt it his duty to let us know how he felt.

Thank you dad for passing this trait to me. And for those of you who have heard me grumble, just know that it is just me honoring dad.

Now please, join me in honoring my father and hero, Clarence Haseyama. For the sacrifices he made, his commitment and loyalty, and all the good he did for his community, his country, friends, and of course… his family.

And let us remember him for the goodness of his heart…

And how he was more than a great man…

He was a good man.