Born in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1939, Jim Clark entered eternal rest peacefully in the arms of his wife and in the presence of his youngest granddaughter at his home in Wichita, Kansas, on the evening of October 1st.
Many knew Jim by name, but so many more knew him simply as the man who made them know that they mattered. The world knew him as the man who never let his difficulties overcome him, who never judged, and whose generosity was second to none. Had he darkened the door of an Elks Lodge in recent memory, his fellow Elks would have known him as likely the oldest living Elk in the nation (64 years as a lifetime member). His priests and fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes (Pittsburg, KS)—and other churches in both Kansas and Florida—knew him in his later years as the faithful gentleman who desired to die in church (he didn't quite make that, but he did die on a Sunday). His grandchildren know him as an aficionado of oldies and classic movies and an amazing role model—according to them, if a man could be just half as good as Jim, he'd be one of the best men in the whole world. His daughters and sons-in-law know him as a beautiful example to them of what a husband and father should be. His wife knows him as her best friend. The Mother of God knows him as one of her sons. And God… well, God knows him as "Thou Good and Faithful Servant."
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Cranston Clark and Fern (Endicott); his sister, Betty Youvan; and his beloved daughter, Susan Maffei.
His survivors include Ann, his wife of over 60 years; his daughter, Ann Marie de Jong (Jonathan); his grandchildren, Arianna, Nikolaas, and Mara de Jong; Rosemary Patterson, his sister-in-law; cousins, and a number of nieces and nephews.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m., Friday, October 6, 2023, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Pittsburg, KS. Burial will follow at the Highland Park Cemetery in Pittsburg, KS. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 5, 2023, at the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home in Pittsburg, KS. Family will receive friends immediately following the rosary. Friends may call at the funeral home for viewing after 2 p.m. Thursday. Condolences may be left at www.bathnaylor.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be made to either The Avi Project, a personalized pro-life resource for college women (www.theaviproject.com/donate.html or by mail to 30772 Southview Dr. Suite 100, Evergreen, CO 80439) or to the Susan Clark Maffei Memorial Occupational Therapy Scholarship Fund (at the University of Kansas Medical Center through www.kuendowment.org/give or by mail to KU Endowment, PO Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044 designated in memory of Jim Clark).
