Tornado claims second life

The March 23 tornado that thrashed through Clovis has claimed another life.

Walter “Snap” Cravy, 90, of Clovis died Thursday evening at Lubbock Covenant Hospital, according to his son, Thomas V. Cravy.

Cravy said his father spent 20 days in the hospital before succumbing to the severe injuries he sustained in the tornado. “He died peacefully,” Cravy said.

The elder Cravy was born in Roswell in 1916 and had been a Clovis resident for 88 of his 90 years. He worked for the railroad and was well known in the area, his son said.

Heleneta Blevins, 90, died March 27, four days after a tornado packing winds of up to 125 mph destroyed her trailer house in south Clovis.

Cravy and Blevins are the first tornado casualities in Clovis history. About 35 people were reported injured and 500 buildings damaged, according to officials.