In Memoriam –
R. B. Southard died Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at the age of 94. Born in Nebraska in 1930, his family came to California when he was three. He spent his childhood in Covelo where his family weathered the Depression, raising their own food supplemented by hunting and fishing. In 1942, as job prospects were picking up due to the war, they moved to Cloverdale to find work. R. B. entered the seventh grade that year and graduated from Cloverdale High School in 1948.
The next fall, R. B. attended a high school dance where he met Marlys Johnson, a new arrival from Washington. They dated steadily, however, for a variety of reasons, he and two friends decided to join the service. He enlisted in the Army, but shortly thereafter was transferred to the Air Force which was building its ranks.
He completed basic training in Texas where he also trained in airplane mechanics. He was then stationed at Edwards Air Force Base near Lancaster, California, a test center for aircraft development. While he wasn’t involved in the test program, an interesting part of his Air Force experience was observing test flights and encountering test pilot Chuck Yeager on the flight line. R. B. was assigned to the alert shack where his duties entailed meeting and directing incoming planes including that of pioneer female aviator Jackie Cochran, whom he remembered as “really a nice gal.” On his days off, he worked at a Chevron station in Lancaster.
When R. B. had leave, he went home to Cloverdale and continued his relationship with Marlys. They were married in 1952 while R. B. was still in the Air Force. After his discharge, they returned to Cloverdale where he went into the service station business. He operated a Chevron station, then a Shell station, then independently as Southard’s Service Center selling Mobil products. During this time R. B. and Marlys raised four children and bought ranch property in the Mendocino County redwoods to which they later moved.
In 1978 R. B. moved his business to a larger location at the south end of Cloverdale where he focused on tire sales and auto repair until he retired in 1996. He spent his retirement doing the things he loved: working with Marlys on their property, planting and harvesting a large garden, going to weekly dances, spending time with family at the ranch camp, and working on his classic cars. He belonged to a number of car clubs and for years he and Marlys toured the United States with other classic car enthusiasts. A highlight for him was following Route 66 all the way from Chicago to Santa Monica.
R. B. is survived by the love of his life, Marlys, his daughter Janice, son Paul, daughters-in-law Juli and Melanee, grandchildren Jake (Taylor), Ryan (Brittni), Brandon (Lily), Brett (Nikki), and Angela, eight great-grandchildren, and one brother and two sisters. He was predeceased by his daughter Diane and son David.
R. B. was a dedicated member of the American Legion William Russell Ledford Post 293 and ardent supporter of veterans. An open house remembrance of his life will be held at the Cloverdale Veteran’s building on Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with military honors at 2 p.m.
The family suggests donations to Wounded Warriors or any organization serving veterans.