Robert Gary Clark's Obituary
Robert Gary Clark(Robbie), 62, passed from this world to the next on April 22, 2021, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at his home.
Robbie was born on January 9, 1959, in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Saint John’s Hospital. He lived most of his life in Tulsa but also lived in Houston and Los Angeles.
Robbie was a talented athlete. In Houston, Robbie was selected to be the pitcher for the Northwest 45’s All StarTeam. He loved playing baseball, and, after our family moved to Tulsa, he continued to pitch for the Jenks Trojans. Robbie also played varsity basketball for the Trojans.
Robbie was a 1977 graduate of Jenks High School. After graduation, Robbie attended Tulsa Junior College for two years. He then went to Oklahoma State University where he received his undergraduate business degree.
After graduating from college, Robbie worked for Vinson Supplyin inventory control. After a few years in different jobs, including selling insurance and working in construction management in Los Angeles and Tulsa, Robbiefound his true calling(in work)as a Tulsa Stage Employee and member of theInternational Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE #354. He loved that job. He particularly loved the people.
During the ’90s, Robbie was an invaluable help to his sister, Linda, with her former business, the Amish Pantry. He picked up and delivered baked goods. Mysteriously, every so often, there would be a dropped mini-pecan pie, which coincidently happened to be Rob’s favorite kind of pie.
As a grown-up, Robbie really enjoyed playing racquetball and volleyball with his friends. He also loved snow skiing, going on float trips, and fishing at Grand Lake.
Robbie was very proud to be a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. He highly respected Bill Anoatubby, Lisa Billy, and other Chickasaw leaders. Robbie also was very proud of the fact that we are direct descendants of Cyrus Harris, a great Chickasaw leader who was the first governor of the Chickasaw Nation. He spent a lot of time learning about our ancestors. Robbie loved going to Ada and surrounding areas in the Chickasaw Nation. He also loved Native American art. He was particularly fond of the work of Dustin Mater.
Robbie loved talking (anywhere, any time!) with his many friends. Robbie loved planning class reunions and praying for his classmates from JenksHigh School. Robbie highly valued his Jenks friends. In fact, Robbie highly valued all of his friends. And he had many.
Robbie loved to laugh. He loved a good practical joke. Our mom, who thankfully was extraordinarily patient with us, was often the target. On family trips--to keep things moving and to help cure the boredom of long vacation drives to Colorado, Florida, or California, he would come up with ideas on ways to prank her—like setting every clock and watch in our hotel room to 9 a.m. when it was really 6 a.m., and then telling mom she needed to get up because it was already 9 a.m. and we needed to get moving. This one worked really well until we went to breakfast, and mom saw the unusually large clock at the entrance to the hotel restaurant that displayed the real-time with its huge hands. Linda, who was sometimes the target of Robbie’s practical jokes, “got him back” for all of his pranks on her when we were on a family trip to Canada (as adults). She gave him trick gum that turned his teeth and lips bright blue. Robbie, who has always made friends quickly, had a really long conversation with a very lovely and “very proper” couple from the U.K. with those bright blue teeth and lips. Linda and Laura laughed and laughed. After he figured it out, Robbie laughed too. Bottom line, Robbie was fun.
Robbie was also incredibly inspiring. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer almost four years ago, Robbie chose to turn his eyes to God and developed an incredibly close relationship with Jesus. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he chose to praise God. Instead of getting angry, he chose to talk about how incredibly kind his friends, neighbors, and relatives were to him. Instead of complaining, he chose to tell people(many people!)about Jesus. Robbie loved going to Life Church, and particularly loved hearing Pastor Isaiah Bill preach.
Robbie was an incredible person for many reasons. But he will be remembered most for his extraordinary strength, perseverance, and grace in the midst of unusually hard circumstances.
Robbie is survived by two sisters, LindaPulver (Burk) and LauraFey (David), four nieces, Chelsea Holt (Philip), Christen Pulver, Chloe Pulver, and Emily Fey, and two nephews, Chris Clark and Andrew Fey. He will be greatly missed, but we are comforted in knowing that Jesus has welcomed him with open arms. And we are comforted in knowing that he is with so many people who love him, including our mom, dad, and brother Steve.
We have greatly appreciated your kindness to our brother. If you would like to do something to celebrate Robbie’s life, in lieu of flowers, we would appreciate it if you would consider making a donation to one of two charitable organizations near and dear to Robbie’s heart: https://hopeisoxygen.org/donationsor https://www.chickasawfoundation.org/.
There is a statement on Cyrus Harris’s tombstone that Robbie was intrigued by that says: “I was once as you are. As I am now, the same shall you be, so prepare for death and follow me.” Robbie totally embraced life on this earth, but he was not afraid of death. He knew that “his” Jesus and many other loved ones would welcome him with open arms. And we know they have.
Chi hullo li, nafki!
(We love you, brother!)
For those that cannot attend the service in person, we will be webcasting at the following link: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/53003/hash:686EBF8BA0212637
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