Glenn Davis Clark Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Glenn Davis Clark was born July 19, 1927, to Homer and Inez (Stump) Clark in Fillmore, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was the youngest of four boys born to his parents. Early in life, Glenn moved with his family to Albia, Iowa -- a town his family helped found in the mid-1800s, originally called Clarksville or Clarks Point. Glenn attended the country school, but had to go to town for high school. It was there where he met his sweetheart, Helen Jean Ford, whom he married on February 27, 1948. He and Helen were born two days apart, a detail of their story that made them seem destined for each other. Glenn and Helen had three children: Susan Jean, David William, and Cynthia Marie. Glenn was drafted into the Army in 1952, where he served in the European Command in France and Germany during the Korean Conflict. Upon completion of his duty, Glenn returned to Albia and worked a variety of jobs over the years, including at Bridgeport Station in Eddyville, Albia Auto Supply, Curl's Machine Shop in Centerville, L&S Tools in Albia, and his own radiator shop, Clark's Repair. For the majority of his adult life, Glenn worked at John Deere Ottumwa Works in Ottumwa, and founded and ran Clark's Garbaze with his wife Helen in Albia. Glenn was a strong Christian, and never missed an opportunity to witness to his friends and loved ones. He wanted to be sure he got to see them all in Heaven, a sentiment that became all too real to him when he and Helen lost their four-year-old son David after a long battle with leukemia. He rarely turned the TV from TBN, and anyone who spent much time at their house knows Kenneth Copeland and Gaithers' songs by heart. Glenn raised his daughters to be independent, hard workers, who relied until his death on the advice and expertise he doled out over the years. He was always the first to offer help -- whether it was wanted or not, and often started projects for his girls he didn't have the authority to begin. Glenn was a natural teacher, whether showing his kids and grandkids how to drive from an early age, demonstrating how to do mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, and even leading a Sunday school class. He also was incredibly inventive, thinking up ideas for LifeFlight and video calls, among many others, far before they became a reality -- and his family even recently found a mirror selfie he took in the early 1950s. Glenn also loved having the newest in technology, whether it was BetaMax, self-playing electronic pianos, video cameras, or microwaves. Glenn had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to joke with and tease his grandchildren. The kids loved visiting Glenn and Helen at the home they designed and built together. He also taught them, as he had his own children, the value of hard work. Glenn was incredibly handy, and the kids spent many hours with him in his shop, working on vehicles, and riding ATVs and other toys around the farm. Glenn was fiercely loyal, but also, as his wife Helen frequently described him, a stubborn Welshman. His obstinance often led to stories his family still tells and laughs about. Glenn retired from John Deere after decades of service, and he and Helen sold their business in 2000. Never one to quit working, Glenn spent his retirement years buying and restoring old tractors on his farm. An eternal conversationalist, he held tight for years to the same flip phone, programmed with thousands of numbers. Whenever Glenn was around and laughter broke out, he'd surely be found at the center. Glenn's family joked with him that he didn't just have nine lives, but many more, as he bounced back after myriad surgeries, accidents, diabetes, and even cancer. After 88 years and eight months, the Lord called Glenn home. Glenn died at the Monroe County Hospital in Albia, Iowa, surrounded by those who love him. Glenn was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, his son David, and his son-in-law Jeff Gustafson. Left to remember his life are his wife Helen Ford Clark; daughters, Susan (Stan) Gilland and Cindy Gustafson; seven grandchildren, Stacie (William) Day, Seth (Cindi) Gilland, Nicole Gustafson, Sarah (Curt) Hopkins, Melanie (Mike) Hatch, Scott (Ricki) Gilland, and Becky Gustafson; and seventeen great-grandchildren, Mason and Katie Day, Lia and Ethan Gilland, Olivia, Sophia, Cameron, and Avery Hopkins, Hannah and Hayden Hatch, Brenden and Brylee Woolsey, Collin, Mikayla, and Case Gilland, and Carter and Madison Gustafson. Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 30th, 2016, at Tharp Funeral home in Albia. Burial will be at Oak View Cemetery in Albia with military honors provided by the American Legion of Albia, Melrose, and Lovilia. Visitation will be held from 3:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th, 2016, at the Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, with Glenn's family present from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to HCI Hospice or the Monroe County Hospital Auxiliary.

Glenn Davis Clark

July 19, 1927 - March 27, 2016