Robert Farley Clark

Robert Farley Clark, 85, passed away on December 16, 2012 in Riverside, California. Bob was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. His professional career was as a telephone technician at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. and Verizon for 43 years. In his retirement, he was a proud member of The Oasis Veteran’s Club.

Those who predeceased Bob were his mother and father, Rose Marie Clark and Robert Ray Clark, his sister Lorraine Coleman, and many dear family members and friends. He is survived by his wife, Jody Clark; sister, Leah Wieland; children Linda Ruiz (Frank), Michael Clark, and Thomas Clark; grandchildren, Joanna Blanks (Bart), Lisa Yoakum (Bill), Robert Damien Clark, Michael E. Clark, Artemisa Clark, Tillman Clark, and Anna Clark; great-grandchildren, Carter Blanks, Julia Blanks, and Megan Yoakum; as well as many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly.

Tell It Again, Gramps

"Meiosis is the division..." I wonder what the weather is like outside. Is there anything good to watch on TV? Uh-oh! There goes my wandering mind again. I have never been much on reading or writing except when it was required. I don't know why, but maybe it is because I come from a story-telling family.

Ever since I can remember, my grandpa has been the family story teller. He does not tell tales or make up fairy tales. These stories come from real life and their characters are us. Anything that happens in our family, my grandpa tucks the information into the back of his--what must be enormous--mind. He remembers every detail and when the story needs a little spice, he adds just the right amount. After all, the snow gets a foot deeper every year, doesn't it?

I have heard so many stories throughout my twenty-one years, they are beginning to get a little jumbled. There is one story in particular that sticks in my mind.

When my twin sister and I were less than a year old, my mother was alone with us in a one-bedroom apartment. My grandparents were helping her out when she needed it and this particular morning my grandpa helped dress us. After my grandparents had returned home, they received a frantic phone call from my mother. One would wonder if anything serious had happened. The voice on the phone asked in a quivering voice, "Daddy, which one did you dress in yellow?" It's the humorous ones that are Grandpa's favorites.

Playing word games with Grandpa was always a blast. He chose words like chartreuse and fuschia--you know, words that are beyond a typical 7 year old's vocabulary. It didn't matter that Grandpa always won. It was just fun to play.

Grandpa has enough stories by now to write a book (or two) with a variety of words to help. I don't think it's Grandpa's style though. He'll just keep telling his stories for the rest of his life. I'm doomed to hear them twice a year for many years to come, but when they are gone, I will miss them.

by Joanna Ruiz, 1992