Claude Landes was born in Fairhope, Alabama in 1963 to Raymond and Beverly Landes. He and his younger brother Robert were raised in Daphne, a small town East of Mobile Bay. Growing up, Claude loved sports. Ambidextrous, he was skilled at pitching left handed in Little League. In High School, Claude enjoyed participating in Track and Field events. He later showed an interest in photography, earning him the nickname “The Flash”. A southern boy, him and his friend Jamie loved listening to Van Halen, AC/DC, and Molly Hatchet. In Alabama in the late seventies, you could find them riding around in their Chevy Monza by night, and hunting and fishing by day.

An electronics hobbyist and gifted mind, he enlisted in the Navy for a commitment of six years starting in October 1981 to pursue his education. Through the Navy, he was trained as a Surface Ship Nuclear Propulsion Plant Operator, often referred to colloquially as a “Navy Nuke”.

In October 1983, while stationed in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Claude met the love of his life and his soulmate, Terrie. The two quickly fell in love, and they were married in Idaho Falls on April 7, 1984.

After Claude was finished with his Navy training in Idaho Falls, he and Terrie moved to San Fransisco, California, where he was stationed at the Alameda Naval Base. While in San Fransisco, Claude and his wife enjoyed participating in the Renaissance fair. Claude fashioned himself a shirt of chainmail and wore a full suit of armor, engaging in sword fights for an audience of fairgoers.

During his time in the Navy, Claude was able to travel the world, visiting the Philippines, France, Italy, Singapore, Pakistan, Australia, and Hawaii. Claude attained the rank of Petty Officer and was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal. After his discharge from the Navy, Claude worked as a civilian Nuclear Reactor technician in the Mare Island Naval shipyard.

After the Naval Base closure in 1994, Claude and Terrie moved to West Richland, Washington, where he began working as a Health Physics Technician at the Hanford Nuclear Site, where he would later be promoted to the position of Senior Health Physicist.

In September of 1997, Claude and Terrie gave birth to their first son Christian. A family man and loving father, Claude was overjoyed to simply hold his wife and child in his arms. In July 2004, Claude and Terrie welcomed Brendan, their second child, into the world.

Claude was a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, having been baptized in 1999 and sealed to his wife and family in the Seattle temple in the year 2000. Claude devoted himself to whichever calling the church had in store for him. Above all, Claude enjoyed serving as Scoutmaster.

Claude’s love for scouting spanned his whole life. A cub scout and boy scout, later in life Claude was a mentor to many young men during his decades as a Scoutmaster. An avid sportsman, Claude loved hunting and camping. Claude felt closest to heaven in nature, where he would commune with God and admire his creation.

Possessing a lifelong passion for community involvement, Claude was generous with his time. In addition to the Boy Scouts, Claude also volunteered for the Tri-Cities Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Chapter. He was involved with the Nelson/Schmunk VFW Post 12018, participating in many Veterans’ funeral services and the annual Veterans Day Parade. A Certified Hunter Safety Instructor and Range Safety Officer, Claude loved to educate youth about safe firearm operation.

Claude had too many interests to list. Whenever he found a new hobby, he would research it and quickly became a subject matter expert. Some of his many hobbies included golfing, leatherworking, audiophile headphones, computers, custom knives, mountain biking, woodworking, and firearms.

Notable organizations Claude was a member of included the RMEF, the LT Wright Knives Pouthouse, and the Spout Springs Repeater Association. Up until the midnight before he passed, Claude was hard at work finalizing plans for an SSRA event.

Claude passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early morning on Friday April 30th, 2021. He had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and was seeing a cardiologist.

Claude will be remembered as a shining example of devotion to one’s Community, Family, and God. Claude Landes is a man who was truly thankful for all of the people in his life.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Claude’s name to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation using the link below. Use Tri-Cities as the City name. Use the following info for the family contact:

Terrie Landes

4503 Polo Way, West Richland, WA 99353

(509) 591-8978

Memorials & Honoraria

There will be a Service at 11am on Friday, May 7th, 2021 at Sunset Memorial Gardens. The event will be live-streamed and recorded to YouTube for anyone who is not able to attend.

We would like to thank everyone who has reached out in support of our family. We are grateful for your comforting thoughts, prayers, and condolences.