Clark Ellison

Born on September 13, 1941, in Oklahoma City, to Bessie (Clark) and Kenneth A. Ellison, Clark spent his childhood enjoying time on the family ranch with his uncles Ed and Guy in Fairview, OK, hunting and fishing.

A 1959 graduate of Casady High School, Clark went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Oklahoma, where he made lifelong friends in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

During these treasured years at OU, Clark’s father, Kenneth, passed away unexpectedly while the two were on the ranch together. Thus began Clark’s career in the oil and natural gas industry. He took over the family’s production company, Ellison Oil, making a big impact as he carried on his father’s desire to find deep natural gas in the Anadarko Basin in the North Corn and Ft. Cobb fields.

In addition to his passion for OU football and geology, Clark loved boating and the ocean. He was a founding member of the Oklahoma City Power Squadron, for whom he helped design its crimson and cream burgee, much to the chagrin of the power squadron’s Cowboy fans. He spent many years living part-time at the gulf coast on his beloved boat, the C’s Joy. In 2006, he weighed anchor in Panama City, FL, embarking on a two-year “Great Loop” journey, cruising approximately 8,150 miles aboard his boat traveling around Florida, then northward along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to New York, through the New York canals to the Great Lakes to Chicago, down the inland rivers and back to the Gulf of Mexico. Many beloved friends joined Clark along the journey, serving as volunteer crew members.

Clark is survived by his wife, Beverly (Bennett) Ellison, whom he married July 18, 2020, and his children, daughter Paige Ellison and her husband Jim Landis, of Norman, OK; daughter Emily McConnell, husband Peter and their children, Sophia and Charlie, of Oklahoma City; son Jason Free and his partner Sarah, and their children Otem and Duel, of Los Angeles, CA; and son Ryan Free, wife Marian and their children Clark, Charlotte and Walt, of Edmond, OK. He is also survived by Beverly’s four daughters, Kristen and husband Chuck Creamer and their children, Nathan, Ethan and Reagan, of Edmond, OK; Kim and husband Rob Marable and their children, Gibson and Stella, also of Edmond; Mary King and her daughter Olivia, of Oklahoma City; and Katie King and her daughter Nori, of New York City, NY.

He was preceded in death by both parents.

Following a private graveside ceremony, the family is hosting a celebration of life Friday at 6pm at the Skirvin Hotel’s Venetian Room. The family requests that guests dress in shades of blue, rather than traditional black, in honor of Clark.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ocean Conservancy, 1300 19th Street NW - 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.