Marvin Clausen, most affectionately known as “Aitxitxe”, passed away on January 29, 2021 at the age of 96. Born in Winnemucca, NV to a family of six boys, he was raised by his mother, Pearl, after the early passing of his father, Henry.
In high school, he played point guard for the Humboldt County High School basketball team, turning down a scholarship to UCLA to serve his country in WWII.
He would later be inducted into the Nevada High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
It was in high school that he met Carmen McErquiaga, a Basque girl next door. He enlisted for duty in 1942, and received his pilot wings and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force.
Carmen traveled cross-country by train and the two were married in the night by a justice of the peace in Liberal, Kansas. They would be together for 69 years until Carmen’s passing in 2014.
Marvin and Carmen had two daughters, Joyce (Chic) and Patricia, whom they loved dearly. Marvin was the Humboldt County Assessor for thirty years, served as Deputy Sheriff under Delbert Moore, as well as a volunteer fireman. He was an avid fisherman with his friend and brother-in-law, Paul Farmer, and enjoyed many days working on his wife’s family’s cattle ranch in Orovada, NV.
He was a member of the Winnemucca Basque Club, the American Legion, Masonic Order, and Scottish Rites. But when both daughters moved to Boise, Idaho, he and Carmen uprooted from their hometown to be with them.
Marvin’s great devotion in life was to his three grandsons, Kepa, Josu, and Javi. He was a daily fixture in their lives. For a young boy, he was a dream of a grandpa. Camping, fishing, and hunting trips were a regular event. Many joyful memories were had on road trips to Winnemucca with his wife and the three boys.
Together, they’d enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes at Keith’s Model T, riding Old Blue at the ranch, and delivering pounds of chorizos to family.
Marvin and Carmen were always early and in the front row at every school function for the boys. There was no missed opportunity to spoil his grandsons.
Later in life, he was overjoyed to greet his great-grandsons and great-granddaughter. He thought the absolute world of them all.
Marvin and Carmen were regular attendants at the Meridian Senior Center, where they made many friends and had many laughs. They were also members of the Euskaldunak Boise Basque Club.
A quiet, kind, devoted man, his love for family was deep and abiding.
He is survived in life by his daughters, Joyce Jayo (Sabino), Patricia Zubizarreta (Luis), his grandsons Kepa (Amy), Josu (Ziortza), Javi Zubizarreta, and his three great-grandchildren, Joaquin, Beñat, and Aia.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Carmen, his five brothers, Harold, Walter, Leonard, Raymond, and Stanley, his parents Henry and Pearl Clausen, and many other family and friends. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.
Due to Covid-19, services will be limited to immediate family only.
