Clarence “Clancy” Genji Matsuda
July 18, 1937 ~ February 11, 2023
Retired Colonel Clarence (Clancy) Genji Matsuda, 85, died Saturday, February 11, 2023, at Good Samaritan Village, Sioux Falls, SD.
Visitation with family will be 4:30pm – 6:30pm, Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Spirit of Truth Lutheran Church, Brandon, SD. Memorial Services will be 2pm, Sunday, February 19, 2023, also at Spirit of Truth Lutheran Church. Burial will be 2pm, Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at the SD State Veteran’s Cemetery, with Full Military Honors. A live stream link for viewing on Sunday is https://youtube.com/live/yUI8Td_kaRI?feature=share The stream will start at approximately 1:45pm Sunday.
Clarence “Clancy” Genji Matsuda was born on July 18, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Genyei and Miyo (Miyashiro) Matsuda. He entered the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School in 1956, and the U.S. Military Academy in 1957. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army through the Officers’ Candidate School in December 1961. Overseas assignments included Santo Domingo, two tours in Vietnam, and Korea.
After 21 moves with his wife (and later, his family), he retired from the Army on August 31, 1989. He and Connie settled in Brandon, SD in 1990. After his retirement from the Army, he spent three seasons as a volunteer football coach. His Christian faith guided much of his activity. Clancy graduated from North American Baptist Seminary before serving as a counselor at the West Farm and made missionary trips to Russia and Mongolia. He served in various leadership roles in his church.
Clancy is survived by his wife, Connie; his children, Matthew Matsuda, Brandon, and Leilani (Takeshi) Komatsubara, Sakata, Japan; his grandchildren, Kohta and Kay Komatsubara; and his brother, Charles Matsuda, Kaneohe, HI, and sister, Linda Kimura, Honolulu, HI.
Clancy was preceded in death by his parents, Genyei and Miyo (Miyashiro) Matsuda; one sister, Lily; and two brothers, Wilfred, and Michael.
It was always a pleasure to talk with you at American Legion events and at Spirit of Truth. May you now rest in peace.
My sincere sympathies to Clancy’s family in this time of loss. Our hope is in Christ and the life he has made available to us. Clancy was a dedicated follower of his Lord and Saviour and we know we will be together again in the loving arms of our merciful God. We are in sorrow for our loss but it is eternal gain for Clancy. To God be the glory in all things and may God give us all good memories of the times we have spent with Clancy, his servant.