Obituary -- Clarence Leo “Honey” Craven
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Clarence Leo “Honey” Craven, 98, formerly of Madison, Conn., and Boynton Beach, Fla., husband of the late Eileen (Griffin) Craven, passed away Tuesday, July 22, 2003, at Fowler Nursing Center in Guilford. Born on September 10, 1904 in Brookline, Mass., he was the son of the late Joseph and Elizabeth (O’Leary) Craven.
Craven was the ringmaster, and the late manager of the National and Devon Horse Shows for several decades. He served as ringmaster of many other shows, including Piping Rock on Long Island, Pin Oak in Houston, Texas, and Eastern States in Massachusetts, where his coaching horn calls summoned entries into the ring. Craven is a US Equestrian Lifetime Achievement award winner. He was also a member of Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame, and in March of 2003 was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. He was associated with The London Harness, Company of Boston for many years.
He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Henry O. Robinson, II of Madison, Conn.; three grandchildren, Henry O. Robinson, III of Breckenridge, Colo., Lawrence Preston Robinson of Guilford and Elizabeth Robinson Baldwin of Dallas, Texas; and two great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by six brothers, Francis, Joseph, William, Arthur, James and Gerard and two sisters, Mary G. “Mollie” Craven and Katherine Ryan.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 26, 2003, at St. Margaret’s Church. Calling hours will precede the Mass at Swan Funeral Home, 825 Boston Post Road, Madison, Conn., on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Interment will be in Holy Hood Cemetery in Brookline, Mass., at the convenience of the family. Contributions may be made in his memory to the US Equestrian Team young Rider’s Development Program, Gladstone, N.J.
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