Walter David Clark, 92, Veteran, Taught at Pentucket

walter_david_clarkWalter David Clark, 92, passed away peacefully at Merrimack Valley Hospice House May 14,  surrounded by his seven children.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was the son of Walter and Gladys (Forman) Clark. He was a resident of Groveland for more than 50 years. He graduated from Mariemont High School in Cincinnati in 1942. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1943, and was stationed in the South Pacific for two years, eight months and seven days during World War II. After the war, he transferred to the Air Force and spent time in Japan and Korea. He met Mary at an Air Force dance in 1956, and they were married four months later. In 1961, the Air Force sent him to Texas A&M University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in meteorology. He graduated in 1963. The family moved to Massachusetts in 1965, where he worked for the Air Force as part of a team monitoring solar activity for the Apollo space program. He retired from the Air Force in 1969 after 26 years of service.

Clark began teaching science and mathematics at Pentucket Regional Junior High School, eventually moving over to the senior High School. During his 23 years of teaching, he admonished hundreds of students not to “chew their cud” in his classroom. He retired from teaching in 1992, and his daughter Mary Beth currently teaches in the classroom where he originally taught.

During his lengthy retirement, Clark loved spending time with his family, especially his many grandchildren. He was an avid Red Sox fan, enjoyed his dogs and his garden and derived great pleasure from second-guessing the meteorologists on television when it snowed. He volunteered at Hanscom Air Force base working on programs for retired veterans and later drove many other seniors to doctor’s appointments. He was a Cub Scout leader and a little league coach for many years, and was a long-time member of St. Patrick’s Church in South Groveland.

He leaves his wife of 60 years, Mary (Reck) Clark; children, David Clark and wife Patricia of Sterling, Michael Clark and wife Judy of Haverhill, Mark Clark and wife Linda of Haverhill, James Clark and wife Susan of Brentwood, N.H., Mary Beth Clark of Bradford, Susan Russo and husband David of Princeton, Peg DiGrazia and husband Christopher of Bradford and Beulah Wessel and husband Howard of Batesville, Ind.; 10 grandchildren; and a great-grandchild with another on the way. He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers, Raymond and Gilbert Clark.

Visiting hours are Wednesday, May 17, at Driscoll Funeral Home, 309 S. Main St., Bradford, from 4 to 8 p.m. Services Thursday begin in the funeral home at 9 a.m. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Patrick Church, 114 Center St., Groveland, at 10 a.m. Burial with U.S. Air Force honors follows in Elmwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Walter’s memory may be made to the Fisher House Foundation, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD, 20850, or fisherhouse.org