On Sunday, Dec. 23, Robert “Bob” Neville Clark caught the big wave, and he rode it all the way. Bob was born April 13, 1943 in Pensacola, Florida to Melba and Capt. Sam Clark. He traveled around the world with his Navy family, and made friends and collected stories in every place he landed along the way.
He graduated from high school in Beeville, Texas in 1961, and felt a close connection to his classmates from his graduating class and those friendships have spanned his lifetime. After several years of college, he served in the United States Marine Corps. He was assigned to a F4 Phantom squadron in Danang, Vietnam during 1965. He was an ordinance specialist as well as the unit’s Armourer.
When he returned home, he resided in California, where he met and married Karen Frutiger and they had one daughter, Jennifer. In 1975, they moved to Evergreen, Colo., where Bob began a long career as a wholesale car dealer. After his divorce in 1978, Bob bounced between California and Colorado, and finally moved to Half Moon Bay, Calif., permanently in 1992. Bob opened a restaurant with his friend Corky called the Blue Pacific BBQ and married Judy Meyer in 1996.
In 1997 he began a long stretch as the manager of the Harbor View Inn. This career indulged his love of meeting and talking with people, especially surfers, and he stayed until he retired in 2009. He also loved working at Maverick’s Surf Shop, and owners Jeff and Cassandra Clark were very much like family and saved his life in 2009 when he suffered a serious health incident. Shortly after his retirement, he moved to Moab to be near his daughter and grand-daughter, and became a popular fixture in the Moab community where he volunteered as the Farmers’ Market manager and enjoyed chatting with people at the Bark Park with his dog, Mr. McNally.
Bob was preceded in death by his mother and father, and his brother, Samuel Clark. He is survived by his daughter and grand-daughter, Jennifer and Jaimin Sadoff.
His numerous friends meant the world to him, and helped to fill the last few years of his declining health with love and joy. Thank you to each and every one of you. If you wish to do something to honor Bob’s life, please consider a donation to AmpSurf, a non-profit organization that helps wounded veterans heal by teaching them to surf at: PO 5045/ San Luis Obispo, CA 93403 or donate online at www.ampsurf.org
