CHARLES CLARK
With sorrow and also in warm observance of a life fully lived, we report the passing of Charles Clark, age 91, the founder of Clark Pest Control, who passed away peacefully Saturday, September 15th, 2018 at home in Lodi, California surrounded by his family.
Mr. Clark was born in Stockton, California in 1927, and grew up there (as well as in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland), during the Great Depression. In January, 1945, having turned eighteen, he joined the United States Navy, where he served in the South Pacific during the intense, final months of World War II.
Mr Clark returned to Stockton after the war, and in 1950 launched the company that bears his name. Beginning with a single truck, Mr. Clark eventually grew his business into the largest privately held pest control firm west of the Mississippi. One of his proudest accomplishments was the many jobs he created, which made it possible for so many people to support not only themselves but their families.
Always a progressiveminded businessman, Mr. Clark is credited with helping to develop the modern-day pest management industry. He was appointed by California Gov. Jerry Brown to serve two terms as a member of the Structural Pest Control Board in 1979 and 1982, and recently received the Harvey Logan Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pest Control Operators of California (PCOC).
Mr Clark, who was known to his family, friends and acquaintances as “Charlie”, was a modest and unassuming man. He had a gift for storytelling, and a lifelong enthusiasm for reading and learning new things. In later years he and his wife Shirlene traveled extensively with their numerous friends; and listed journeys to such places as Istanbul, London, Mexico, New Orleans, Alaska, the pyramids of Egypt, and the island of his ancestors, Ireland, as among his favorite destinations.
A decades-long member of Woodbridge Country Club, Mr Clark was a low-handicap golfer for much of his life, as well as an avid fly-fisherman and outdoorsman who loved equally the pre-dawn serenity of a duck-blind and a boisterous hand of gin rummy with his pals. As a small boy he witnessed Babe Ruth play an exhibition baseball contest, and remained not only a lifelong aficionado of the game, but a resolute San Francisco Giants fan.
Mr Clark was also a generous philanthropist who donated regularly to a wide array of organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, the Women’s Center-Youth & Family Services of Lodi, the American Civil Liberties Union, and many, many others.
Mr. Clark leaves behind his loving wife of 63 years, Shirlene; four sons: Charles III “Trey” (Kathleen), Jeffrey, Joseph (Darlene), and Terrence (Toni); six grandchildren: Franklin, Matt, Kelli, Harper, Katie Rose and Charlie Grace; as well as Trista Stanley, his brother William; and many, many beloved nieces, nephews, colleagues, employees and friends. Mr Clark also leaves the company he built, loved, and stayed active in until the final year of his long and notable life.
His family would like to offer special thanks to Dr. Annie Santos and her staff as well as the people at Vitas Healthcare for their compassionate care.
On Sunday, January 6th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm there will be a gathering at Woodbridge Country Club in Woodbridge. Friends and family are welcome to come and share in their thoughts and remembrances, and celebrate the life of Charlie Clark.
Please sign the guest book at www.lodinews.com/guestbook.