Clare Alexander Lovelace Jr. (1918 - 1945)

Born 17 Oct 1918 in Muskogee, Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Clarice Corrine (Marvin) Lovelace — married 11 Apr 1942 in Wichita Falls, Texas

Descendants

Died 29 May 1945 at age 26 in North Pacific Ocean

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alexis Nelson [send private message]

Biography

Clare Lovelace Jr. was declared Killed in Action 6 months after being reported MIA during World War II.

Clare Lovelace Jr. was Missing in Action during World War II.

Clare Lovelace Jr. was awarded the Air Medal.

Clare Lovelace Jr. was awarded the Purple Heart.

Master Sergeant Clare Lovelace Jr. served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started: 1942
Unit(s): 62nd Bomber Squadron, 39th Bomber Group (Very Heavy), Crew 46,
Service ended: KIA 29 May 1945

Clare Lovelace Jr. was an Oklahoman.

Clare Lovelace Jr. has English ancestors.

Clare Lovelace Jr. has Scottish Ancestors.

Clare Alexander “Chick” Lovelace Jr. was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on 17 Oct 1918.^[1] He was the son of Clare Alexander Lovelace Sr. and Pearl McCleery Lovelace. Both of his parents were in their mid thirties, and he was their only child.

Clare Alexander “Chick” Lovelace Jr.

He grew up in Muskogee at 1023 Boston, and attended West Junior High and graduated from Muskogee Central High School in 1935. His parents owned Chick Furniture Store at 104 N. Main in Muskogee, and that is how he came to be known by the nickname “Chick”.

His parents moved to Oklahoma City about 1938. The 1940 Oklahoma City phonebook shows he is a salesman for Steffens Dairy Products, and he is living at 621 NW 10th in Oklahoma City. This seems to be a job he kept while going to college. He attended college four years, and he was a student at Oklahoma University where he planned to become a geologist before joining the Army Air Corp.

While he was attending Oklahoma University he met Clarice Marvin, and they married in 1942 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He graduated from the Boeing Technical Aircraft school in Seattle, Washington, and he and Clarice kept a home in Wichita, Kansas while he was away in WWII. Clarice got a job helping build B-29s at the Boeing Plant in Wichita, Kansas, so she would be more likely to be able to see her beloved husband, Chick.

Chick and Clarice, Wedding Day

They were able to be together the Christmas of 1944, because he and his other crew members were waiting for their B-29 to be finished being built. They named the plane the Slic Chic.

After the B-29 “Slic Chic” was completed, Chick was the flight engineer on the “Slic Chic”. His squadron was stationed in Guam, and this was where they flew from for bombing missions over Japan. On May 29, 1945 the "Slic Chic" was hit by flack and went down: P46 Ditch (31°49'N - 142°08'E). On impact of crashing, the plane split in the middle. Of the eleven men on the plane only seven survived the hit by the Japanese.

Chick was considered missing for six months, and his body was never recovered. Four and a half months after his plane was shot down, Clarice gave birth to his baby girl, Alexis Clare Lovelace, on 10 Oct 1945. His death was a hard on his family, and his father had a stoke and died three years later. His mother went on to be president of her Gold Star Mothers Chapter. Clarice Marvin Lovelace never remarried and raised her daughter with help from her mother and mother-in-law.

Clarice died from breast cancer at age 45, and she bravely accepted her own death knowing through her deep faith that she would be with her beloved Chick Lovelace again. After 40 years, Clarice’s remains were moved from Oklahoma City to Fort Gibson and there is a headstone honoring M.Sgt Clare Alexander Lovelace with Clarice’s name on the back at Fort Gibson National Cemetery’.

Photo of B29 and Crew [1]

MSgt. Clare Alexander and Clarice Lovelace

Crew 46, 62nd Squadron - 39th Bomb Group

Ft. Gibson National Cemetery

Letter From Clarice

”Chick” Lovelace and Charles Markowitz were best friends. Chick called Charles "The Kid" because Charles was younger. Charles even spent the 1944 holidays with Chick and Clarice and her family. Even though the Markowitz's were in New York, a bond was formed between the two families. This is a copy of a letter that Clarice wrote to Charles' mother during the time that Chick and Charles were considered missing, but they had not gotten any news as to any particulars about their fate.

October 2, 1945

Dear Mrs. Markowitz,

Your letter came yesterday, and I should be one of the happiest and most willing persons on this earth to write you some good news, but there has been no news at all for quite some time. There should have been a letter from the adjutant general’s office this week whether the situation had changed or not, as it has now been three months since we received the wires which reported the boys missing. I read in the newspaper the other day that a thorough search is being made through out the area where any servicemen may be found. This search will take approximately thirty days. Maybe at the end of that time there will be some official news from Washington. Needless to say, I was very fond of Charlie, the three of us had many a merry time especially when he was here Christmas. My folks were delighted, for Charlie’s being here was a compensation for my younger brother who was overseas. I only wish there was something I could say or do that would help. I shall pass on to you any information received. God willing the boys will be home again.

Sincerely, Clarice Lovelace

Sources

1. ↑ Ok2explore Birth Record Search Results: Last Name LOVELACE, First Name CLARE, Middle Name ALEXANDER, Gender M, Birth County Muskogee, Birth Month 10, Birth Day 17, Birth Year 1918.

• Clare A Lavelan Jr in the 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Muskogee Ward 3, Muskogee, Oklahoma; Roll: T625_1477; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 87

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCW6-TK3 : accessed 4 July 2021), Clare A Lovelace Jr. in household of Clare A Lovelace, Muskogee, Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 38, sheet 3A, line 2, family 61, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1916; FHL microfilm 2,341,650.

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VB2W-GKL : 5 January 2021), Clare Lovelace in household of Clare Lovelace, Ward 3, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 78-93, sheet 5A, line 11, family 138, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3345.

• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85L-SWF : 5 December 2014), Clare A Jr Lovelace, enlisted 20 Dec 1941, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

• "Oklahoma, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2BH-8Z68 : 16 August 2019), Clare Alexander Lovelace, 16 Oct 1940; records extracted by FamilySearch and images digitized by Ancestry; citing Draft Registration, Norman, Cleveland, Oklahoma, United States, NAID 2169774. Records of the Selective Service System, 1926 - 1975, RG 147. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri.

• The 20th Air Force's five wings were divided into 20 Bomb Groups. This is the history of one of those Groups. The 39th - stationed on Guam, the southernmost island in the Marianas: http://39th.org/

• Crew 46, 62nd Squadron - 39th Bomb Group (VH): http://39th.org/39th/aerial/62nd/crew46.html

• Clarice Lovelace’s letter to Charles Markowitz’s mother: http://39th.org/39th/aerial/62nd/Crew_46/markowitz/c-lovelace2mommark.htm

• DAR descendent of Andrew Sharp, PA, PVT, # A102868 Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 24 Oct 2018), "Record of Andrew Sharp", Ancestor # A102868.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_engineer

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Memorial_Cemetery_of_the_Pacific

• Honolulu Memorial, also known as Courts of the Missing: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GRid=56123739f&CRid=1990395&

• Find A Grave: Memorial #56123739 MSgt Clare Alexander “Chick” Lovelace Jr. (17 Oct 1918–29 May 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56123739, citing Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA ; Maintained by Alexis Lovelace (contributor 48775588) .

Notes

• Greer, Ron and Mike Wicks. Fire From The Sky, A Diary Over Japan. Bloomington, IN, iUniverse. 2005, 2013. pp. 123-132. Library of Congress No. 2013911737

• Flight Engineer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK2SE9AdcaQ