He was born on November 25, 1946 to the late Kathryn Harris Clarkson and John Melvin Clarkson. He was a graduate of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN. Mr. Clarkson was a Sigma Chi charter member at Tennessee Tech. He was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church and currently attended Grace United Methodist Church. Mr. Clarkson was a board member of the Old Hickory Club of Rotary International and a Paul Harris Fellow at the Rotary Foundation. He was a lifelong Rotarian; he was voted Rotarian of the decade from 2000-2009 for the Old Hickory Rotary Club.
Since he retired, he worked regularly with the RIFA Soup Kitchen and the Boys & Girls Club of Jackson until his health failed him in the latter part of 2016. Mr. Clarkson was a blood donor, having given over two gallons in Middle Tennessee and over three gallons to Lifeline Blood Services in Jackson.
Mr. Clarkson was employed by Williams Enterprises Incorporated in Cookeville, TN from 1972 until 1989 then he was employed with Central Distributors as General Manager from 1990 until his retirement in 2014.
He is survived by his four children, Kelly A. Clarkson, J. Clay Clarkson (Kim), S. Levi Clarkson (Katherine), and Bentlee K. Clarkson. He is also survived by two “adopted” daughters, Kristi Tedford and Spencer Hancock, and a special friend Anita Langdon.
The family will receive friends and loved ones at a visitation to be held on Friday, October 4, 2019 from 4-8 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 142 McClellan Rd., Jackson, TN. The funeral service will be conducted on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 2 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers and other remembrances, the family has requested that memorials be directed to Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA), The Boys and Girls Club of Jackson, or CurePSP via curepsp.org.
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