John R. Clabes, 94, former newspaper editor and public servant, died Friday after a short illness. Clabes was born March 21, 1926, in Poteau, OK, joined the Army Air Corps in 1944, was graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1950 with a BA degree in journalism, and worked for newspapers in Hobart and Lawton before starting the Oklahoma Journal in 1964, which ceased publication in 1981. He then served as public affairs officer at Tinker Air Force Base and later, the Federal Aviation Administration at the Aeronautical Center and the Southwest Region at Fort Worth. He left federal service in 2006. A member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, he received many honors for his pioneering efforts in typography, makeup design and offset production. John was beloved by aviation reporters across the nation during the years when major airplanes crashes happened several times a year. He was always helpful and always on the lookout for positive stories about the FAA. If he pitched you an idea, he fully expected you to find a way to sell it to your editors. His tenaciousness was matched only by his saltiness and propensity for sharing inappropriate jokes by email. He counted many aviation reporters as personal friends, and made sure that anytime one of them visited Oklahoma City that they stayed in his guest room, named the "Malnic Suite" after the legendary Los Angeles Times aviation reporter Eric Malnic. He loved his family, his friends, nice clothes, golf, rambunctious dogs, and convertible sports cars. Riding in his passenger seat was a truly frightening experience. He is survived by his wife Shawn McBride, daughter Caitlin Victoria Clabes, two sons, Blair Clabes of Carlsbad, CA, and Brandon Clabes of Midwest City, two grandsons, Collin and Morgan, and a granddaughter, Gabriella. Given current conditions, no services are planned. In lieu of flowers, people who wish to are asked to donate to a charity of their choice.