David George Clark

Captain David George Clark, USN, Ret, passed away on February 14, 2021 at the age of 80 in the Vermont Veterans home in Bennington after a long illness. Many people found it appropriate that he passed away on Valentine’s Day because he had such a big heart. Dave was born in Morrisville, Vermont on November 1, 1940. He was born to the late George and Helen Clark of Morrisville, Vermont. Dave was the oldest of four children. His sisters are Delia Clark, Dawn Plante (Ron), and Diann Clark-Boucher (Jackie). Dave fell in love and married Lynne Furneaux Clark in 1964. Dave and Lynne have two children, Lisa Clark-Remillard(Maurice) of Foster, Rhode Island and David Clark(Sundi) and two grandsons Aidan and Brendan of Eugene, Oregon. Dave was nominated to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1958 after graduating from People’s Academy. Dave became an officer and served on the USS Decatur, French destroyer DuChayla, USS Damato,USS Hawkins, and eventually as the Captain of the USS Semmes based out of Charleston, South Carolina from 1979-1982. Dave served two tours in Vietnam and he graduated from Naval Post-graduate School in Monterey, California in 1968. Dave held other prestigious roles such as student at the Naval Staff College, an instructor at the Naval War College where Dave and Lynne sponsored many international students in Newport, Rhode Island. He was selected as the Naval Attache to Canada from 1988-1992. Dave and Lynne retired to Manchester Center, Vermont in 2002 where they made many friends and loved to help at the Dorset Playhouse in Dorset, Vermont, where they assisted with the many needs of the theater and served as ushers. Dave loved helping others and this role was especially seen in his dedication to St. Mary’s Church in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Dave served as a junior and senior warden as well as cooking pancakes after church services, writing and directing plays at the church, and assisting with their annual fundraising lawn party. While living in Rhode Island he was known as the pied piper of the neighborhood. Every winter you would see a skate rink built in his yard and Christmas time was filled with him making hot chocolate on the BBQ in the front yard before the family and neighbors would go caroling. Dave was a dedicated father who adored and was very proud of his children. It was apparent that Dave’s dedication to the community was passed onto his children. His daughter Lisa became a pediatric nurse and volunteer fire fighter. His son David became a teacher and then a police officer. Dave loved coaching baseball, gardening, woodworking, cooking breakfast, and especially fishing. His family fondly remembers the image of Dave siting peacefully on the small pier at their cottage on the lake in Canada. Dave would sit and toss out dozens of night crawlers daily in search of a big bass while cursing at all the well fed small fish who stripped his hooks. Lisa worked with many children with medical needs who Dave adopted as if they were his own grandchildren. Some of his favorites being Barbie and Sarah who referred to him as “D.” On March 2nd there will be calling hours at the Brewster-Shea Funeral Home in Manchester Center, Vermont from 3-5pm. A burial of ashes will be planned this spring in Portsmouth, Rhode Island at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, Dave’s family asks for donations to be made to the Dare to Dream Ranch for veterans in Foster, RI(https://www.daretodreamranch.org) 12 Snagwood Road Foster, RI 02825 and Dorset Players Inc. in Dorset, VT(https://www.dorsetplayers.org) PO Box 521, Dorset, VT 05251. Or a charity of your choice.