Clinton Underwood Haas, 89, Palm Springs, Calif., a former Stevens Point resident and father of a Stevens Point woman, died Monday, Feb. 4, 2013.
A service will be held in Palm Springs, Calif., at a date to be determined.
A life celebration will be held in Stevens Point at a later date.
A memorial will be established in his name for his great-grandchildren.
On-line condolences can be sent to the family at moc.oohaynull@65lrigraebetihw.
Mr. Haas was born Sept. 24, 1923, in Adrian, Mich., a son of the late Lawrence and Ferne Haas. He attended schools in Adrian, Mich., and was in the pre-med program at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942.
He was a tech sergeant/radio gunner for the 17th Bomb Group; 34th Bomb Squadron, and flew 25 missions for the United States in World War II, when his plane was shot down over Germany. He was captured and was a POW until liberated by the Allied Forces in 1945.
Upon returning from his military service, he received his bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He worked for the American Heart Association and met his wife in Marshfield.
He was married to Ione Riedel in Marshfield. She died in 1991.
The family lived in Wisconsin Rapids; Des Moines, Iowa; Eau Claire; and Little Falls, Minn. He worked for the Minnesota Lung Association for many years and resided in White Bear Lake, Minn.
He obtained a master’s degree in social science from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and went on to work as a rehabilitation counselor for the state of Minnesota until his retirement in 1979.
The couple moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family.
While living in the Stevens Point area, Mr. Haas was active with the Veterans Administration and the Democratic Party. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the State Assembly in 2002 for his work with the Democratic Party.
He moved to Palm Springs, Calif., in 2002.
He was married to Paula Saperstien in 2003 in Palm Springs. She died in 2005.
Survivors include one son, Paul, Beaver Dam; one daughter, Melanie (Harry) Obremski, Stevens Point; one sister, Marjorie, Palm Springs, Calif.; his wife, Marti, Palm Springs, Calif.; one grandson, Ryan (Stephanie) Obremski; and two great-grandchildren.
