Clair Joseph Southgate

Clair Joseph Southgate, 9-3-33 to 2-24-23
Clair J. Southgate, 89, died February 24, 2023 after a brief illness. Clair passed away at home surrounded by his family. Clair was born in Detroit, MI and moved to Chicago at the age of 3. Clair was preceded in death by his father, Clair Southgate, his mother, Josephine Hoefeyzers Southgate, and his sister, M. Therese Southgate, MD. Clair is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marie DeMeules Southgate, his daughters, Therese Southgate Fellbaum (Dan) and Susan Southgate Johnson (Dan). Clair was a proud Papa to Tom, Marc, and Claire Fellbaum along with Leon, Olive, and Connor Johnson.
Clair was a child of the depression, he worked on a Ford assembly line one summer with his father, along with other odd jobs during the summer. Clair idolized his older sister, except for the time she threw her pocketbook at his head, he ducked and it broke their mother’s favorite lamp.
Clair earned a degree in geology in 1954 at Notre Dame. Clair served as an officer in the US Navy from 1955-1959. Clair earned an MBA in 1962 from the University of Chicago.
After his time in the military and graduate school, Clair settled in San Diego and began working for General Dynamics. He then moved on to work for the Federal Government on Point Loma as a business analyst until his retirement. Clair and Marie met in San Diego and were married at Blessed Sacrament Church in 1965. Clair did not define himself by his career, but by his family. Raising two wonderful daughters, he attended all their sporting events, umpiring in local leagues, taking his girls to countless Padres games at the Old Murph stadium, Gulls hockey games, and many other San Diego events.
Clair was an avid sports enthusiast. When he was not a marshall at the Torrey Pines Golf Invitational, he was watching sporting events on TV. Clair’s first love was for the Chicago Cubs - he was a faithful follower. While Clair was going through treatment for esophageal cancer at the age of 83, his beloved Cubs won the 2016 World Series for the first time in his life.
Another of Clair’s hobbies was writing letters to the Editor of the SD Tribune. His letters were published many times. Clair was one of a kind and will be greatly missed.

Interment to occur at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip on Monday, April 3, 2023 at 2:00 P.M.   Arrangements entrusted to the Becvar & Son Funeral Home, 5539 W. 127th Street, Crestwood, IL 60418  (708) 824-9000 or www.becvarfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Clair Joseph Southgate, please visit our floral store.