He faithfully served in a variety of callings as an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While he worked many long days, he never missed an opportunity to help anyone in need, and he volunteered any and all of his children to cheerfully help others in the neighborhood whether he could be there or not.
Clarke graduated from Logan High School and Utah Agricultural College (now known as Utah State University) with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a certificate to teach driver’s education. While he never became a teacher, he was offered a position to oversee the driver’s education program for the State of Idaho. Unfortunately, because he felt an intense need to take care of his ailing mother, he turned that down.
Raised during the Great Depression, he learned an intense work ethic early in his life. He proudly proclaimed to any family members who would listen that he was driving one of his dad’s dump trucks on state road projects in Wyoming while he was 11-year-old. He cemented his financial beliefs during the Depression and resolved to avoid debt whenever possible throughout his life. He designed and built, both by himself and with help from his wife, the home he lived in until his passing. He proudly proclaimed that subcontractors were only used as a last resort.
Clarke served honorably during World War II as part of the Signal Corps. Radar was one of the more top-secret capabilities during the war and he proudly set up radar systems throughout the South Pacific. He was comfortable climbing the 100 foot and 200 foot towers without a climbing harness, as they were not commonplace on deployment. When it came to the 300 foot towers, he would say he “wasn’t putting fingerprints on the metal; he was leaving them in the metal.” He was honorably discharged on April 6, 1946, to his great excitement.
He wasn’t the first person to speak in a group of people and he was perfectly comfortable being silent. However, whenever he did speak, he was full of wisdom. One of his favorite statements was “me is life, me wasted is life wasted.” Throughout his life, he loved to take his grandkids or great-grandkids to play ping-pong or pool downstairs or for a walk around the block. Clarke and Joyce remained very active, and it was not uncommon to see them walking laps around the Cache Valley Mall or around their neighborhood in the evenings.
To the very end, he always wanted to know what he needed to be doing or who he could help, and even when he reached the point where walking was difficult, he still asked everyone who visited if he could help them do something. Though money was hard-earned in his life, he always handed a white envelope of cash to the wedding party or the family at a funeral.
Clarke is survived by his loving wife, Joyce (more than 67 years), their children, K. Chad (Lisa) Campbell, David (DoriAn) Campbell, Mark (Sharlynn) Campbell, Scott Campbell, and Karen C. (Todd) Turnblom; and a fleet of grand and great-grandkids.
He was preceded in death by his eldest Son Val (Jeanee) Campbell. Brothers and Sisters Don (Julia) Campbell, Beth (Clyde) Muir, Mary (Quinn) Newby, and Parents Alma (Lulu) Campbell.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 25th at 11:00 a.m. at the Crockett Ward Chapel, 325 Lauralin Drive, Logan, Utah.
Condolences and messages may be sent to the family online at www.allenmortuaries.net.