Earl Clark Obituary, Beloved Grandpa Has Sadly Passed Away

Earl Clark Obituary, Death – After a fall and broken hip, Earl Glen Clark, our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died peacefully in American Fork, Utah, on June 5, 2023. Earl was born in Lehi, Utah, on December 13, 1928, to Melba (Goates) Clark, who had lost her husband, Earl Glen Clark, in a railroad accident. Earl hoped to meet his father in the hereafter. Earl worked hard on local farms and played football and basketball in Lehi, Utah.

After graduating high school in 1947, he worked at Geneva Steel for two years until being called to serve in the North Central States Mission (Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After his mission, he briefly attended Brigham Young University before being recruited into the Army for nearly two years. After basic training, he served in North Korea. Earl blind-dated Gladys Christensen in April 1955. It worked, and they married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 29, 1956.

Earl and Gladys built their Highland house in 1967. They raised four children and lived there their whole lives. Earl fell off the roof on a cold October morning. Dislocated elbow and many fractures necessitated three months of hospitalization after the accident. Earl retired in 1992 after 30 years as a Hercules, Inc. operator. He was a lifelong Latter-day Saint and held several church positions. Earl and Gladys enjoyed several years as senior missionaries at the Provo MTC.

He read the Book of Mormon and the newspaper daily at the kitchen bar with reading glasses, a magnifying lens, and a desk lamp in his later years. He enjoyed gardening and kept his lawn and pasture clean. Before falling, he mowed his meadow. Earl constantly helped individuals in need. Family and friends revered him and he patiently endured old age. All who knew him will miss his gentle giant example.
Earl was predeceased by his parents, Glen and Melba Clark; his older sister, Jean Christofferson; his wife, Gladys; a daughter, Marlene (Clark) Beckstrand; and a newborn son, David Earl. Glen (Jolene Grover) Clark (Kennewick, Washington), Carren (Daryl) Devey (Alpine), and Janet Clark (Highland) survive him. Son-in-law Don Beckstrand (Vineyard), seven grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren survive him.