Robert Warren Clark's Obituary
Celebrating the Life of Robert Warren ClarkRobert Warren Clark passed into his new life in Heaven on the first day of this new year, 2016. Dad is survived by his children, Robert Gary Clark, Linda Lee Pulver and Laura Annette Clark Fey; his sons-in-law, Burk Pulver and David Fey; his grandchildren, Chelsea Holt and her husband, Philip Holt, Christen Ober and her husband, Brent Ober, Chloe Pulver, Emily Fey and Andrew Fey; and his great-grandchild, Corvyn Ober. His two sisters, Virginia Vice and Mary Helen Martin, his son, Steven Alan Clark, and his wife, Terry O’Brien Clark, passed away before him. Our dad was born on January 29, 1928 in Wewoka, Oklahoma. His relatives called him “Sonny.” Dad spent his childhood years in Dewar, Oklahoma, a small town close to Henrietta. He spent his youth playing hard and working hard. As a child, dad, whose father worked for Gulf Oil, lived in oil camps in Wewoka, Seminole and Dewar, OK. He also lived in Henrietta, OK. Dad loved riding the family horse, “Old Jim,” on saddle or bareback. He had a vivid recollection of one time hitting “Old Jim” with a switch when his younger sister, Mary Helen, and his friend, Billy Gaines, were on it. The horse took off, his sister (predictably) fell, Billy Gaines fell on top of her, and dad got in huge trouble! Dad was very resourceful. He made a boat for himself out of tin, wood and black tar. He enjoyed riding in his boat and shooting snakes. He also made a bicycle for himself out of spare parts and scraps that he found. Dad always had a very strong work ethic. As a boy, every day, he had the following routine: Wake up before dawn and restock and light the family’s coal-fired furnace; deliver newspapers on his bicycle; milk the cow; collect the eggs from the hens…and then go to school! His jobs included “anything my parents asked me to do.” As an older boy, he got jobs lifeguarding at a local pond; working at a grocery store; and bellhopping at a Henrietta hotel, where he washed dishes and cleaned spittoons. Dad saved his money to buy ice cream bars, clothes, repair his bicycle, and later to take local girls on dates. He told us that, when he was 16, he borrowed his father’s car and wrecked it. He was, of course, responsible for paying to fix the car. It took all of his summer earnings to pay to fix the car. This significantly dampened his social schedule that year. Dad’s favorite memories of his childhood were the family trips they took to Waco, TX to see his grandpa and Aunt Allie and her family. He also enjoyed playing basketball and football in junior high and high school. He enjoyed playing the games, but a significant motivator was the fact that he could get a warm shower after playing a game. He was very proud of lettering in football as Henrietta Hen. Dad recalled that, even during the Depression, his family had plenty of food. During his boyhood, he ate lots of his mom’s home-fried chicken, green beans from their garden, about a gallon of milk a day from the cow, and lots of fruit cobbler. Every morning, his family had fresh eggs from their chickens. He recalled that rarely a Sunday went by that his mom was not feeding their Methodist minister or a church member’s family. Dad’s mom made him clothes from potato sacks that bore the words: “Buy the Potatoes, Wear the Sack, If Not Satisfied, Your Money Back.” Dad graduated from Henrietta High School in May of 1946. After he graduated, he enlisted in the Navy, where he was a gunner on the U.S.S. Fieberling. Dad boxed throughout his two years in the Navy. Every time he won, he got a steak dinner, which we suspect was a significant motivator for his “boxing career.” After the Navy, dad went to college at OSU-Okmulgee, then at Oklahoma City University, where he got a Business Administration Degree with a Minor in Accounting and English. Dad’s first full-time job was in college when he worked for Oklahoma Natural Gas as a meter reader. After college, he worked for Skelly Oil Company as an accountant. He later worked in Venezuela and Bolivia as an auditor for Mene Grande Oil Company (Gulf Oil) and Tenneco. But dad’s career passion was selling life insurance, which is the job he had for most of his life. He recalled that the best career decision he ever made was terminating his job with Tenneco to become an independent insurance salesman. He loved selling insurance because it fulfilled an important need that others had. Dad’s strong work ethic continued well into his 80’s. Dad, who was an independent insurance agent with the Messer-Bowers Insurance Agency in Enid, Oklahoma, continued selling insurance until a couple of years ago, when his Parkinson’s disease finally forced him to quit. Dad loved going on family trips. He took us on great family trips to Florida, Wyoming and California. But his (and our) favorite trips were the many trips we took to Estes Park, CO, where we stayed at the fabulous Ponderosa Lodge. We once pulled a trailer (the “Prowler”) to Colorado, where we had many great adventures. Dad also enjoyed listening to Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins on his eight track; cooking breakfast for the family on Saturday mornings (He would say, “Breakfast will be served in the main dining car in 10 minutes….”); hanging out with “Henrietta’s Gifted” at breakfasts in Tulsa, which he did for over two decades; going to Sunday School at Jenks United Methodist Church, where his class raised money selling Watkins’ products to help those in need; and sitting in his back yard visiting and looking at his roses. Dad, an extraordinarily and eternally positive thinker, believed that “you get out of life what you put into it.” He wanted to be known as a person who gave every job or opportunity his best effort. Dad thought it was important to always do your best in every endeavor, while having a realistic understanding that not every situation would result in success. He was always saying, “Better days ahead!” We know your “better days ahead” are now here, dad. We are blessed to have had you as our father and are grateful that you are now with your Heavenly Father.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Clarehouse, 7617 S Mingo Rd, Tulsa, OK 74133, (918) 893-6150.
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