Harold Minter McClure, 60, beloved husband, father, grandpa, uncle and brother, passed from this life to the glories of heaven on July 18, 2010 at Stanford University Medical Center.

Harold was born to Harold Minter Sr. and Lorraine May McClure in November 1949, in Wichita, Kansas.

In 1951 the family moved to the Casper, Wyo. area, where his father helped to build the Kortes Dam near the Pathfinder Reservoir.

They then moved to Tracy in 1954 where Harold attended elementary school. In 1957 the family moved to eastern Montana where his father helped construct the Fort Peck Dam. They returned to Wichita in 1959 where Harold was active in the Boy Scouts. In 1960, the family resettled in Tracy.

Harold was an industrious son who was always working. He at times had as many as three paper routes, and was a diligent saver. He attained the rank of Life Scout.

In 1966, he began working at the Greyhound Bus Depot for the next three years.

Harold enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1969 and was sent to Vietnam in the Vinh Binh Province. While there he received the Air Medal with Valor award for heroism in aerial flight and the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters. He completed his enlistment at Ft. Carson, Colo. where he was a member of the post rifle sharpshooter team.

It was there that Harold first began pursuing his relationship with Jesus Christ when he joined the Navigators. After his enlistment he spent time with his dad in Kansas before returning to California in 1972.

In 1973, he met the love of his life, Claire Ida Tyrrill, when they both worked at the General Motors Parts warehouse in San Leandro. They were married June 30, 1974.

Harold reenlisted in the Army in August of that year and they were stationed at Ft. Carson, Colo.

It was there that Hannah Jewel was born in 1975. His entire brigade was shipped off to Wiesbaden, Germany in 1976 and there, Harold Jedidiah (1977) and Rose of Sharon (1979) came into this world. Harold was reassigned across the Rhine River in Mainz, and the family truly enjoyed their time in Germany.

Back in California, the family settled in Salinas where Harold worked as a Datsun salesman, an insurance salesperson for Mutual of Omaha, and as a loan officer for Morris Plan Thrift.

In 1983 he was promoted to a branch manager of Morris Plan and the family relocated to Paso Robles where they would spend the next 27 years. They had a surprise child, Cherish Hope, in 1985.

While they raised their children in Paso, Harold worked as a machine repairman at CTS Keene and then as a peace officer at the California Youth Authority for 17 years. The wards liked him.

He joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars and in 1997 was the guiding force for bringing the “The Wall That Heals,” the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial, to Paso Robles. It was a moving, emotional week, as tribute was given to our fallen soldiers, POWs, and to those servicemen who were not honored when they returned home from the Vietnam conflict.

Harold has been blessed with five wonderful grandchildren. From Hannah and Mike Miller, he was given Kaiah Jordan, 15, and from Hannah and Kevin Chalut, Aurora Grace, 8, and Mathias Ezekiel, 6, call him grandpa. Rose and James Winn gave him two beautiful granddaughters, Sharon Remembrance, 8, and Emily Claire, 4. These last two years he planted a sizable garden and found great pleasure being outside in the sunshine and dirt.

He loved to share his produce with the members of New Day Church. He had a love for God the Father all his adult life. He could fix anything, and always was able to build basic structures, assemble furniture, and set up all our electronics. He was an “arm-chair general” and loved military board games, chess, and all the civilization-building games.

He was a self-educated man who read and discussed the philosophers of the ages. He especially liked to study the Bible and knew the Revelation inside-out.

A memorial service for Harold will be held at New Day Church, 1749 Ramada Dr. Paso Robles today at noon. It will be followed by an inurnment ceremony with military honors at the Paso Robles District Cemetery at 2 p.m. Donations may be made to Healing for the Nations, PO Box 10305, Wilmington, NC 28404.