Pastor Leon W. Clark

Pastor Leon William Clark, beloved son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, United States Navy veteran, pastor, and community leader, transitioned from this earthly life on September 9, 2026, just weeks before his 73rd birthday.

Born on October 2, 1953, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, to Queen E. Clark and James (Jim) Ford. Pastor Clark was the oldest of Queen's seven children and had several siblings on Jim’s side. As Queen's eldest, Pastor Clark held a special place within his family from the beginning. The values of family, responsibility, perseverance, and service that took root during those early years would remain defining threads throughout his life.

Pastor Clark was raised in Bennettsville and attended New St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church. He attended Clinton Junior College and Winthrop College before his journey eventually carried him across the country. As a young man, he answered the call to serve his country by joining the United States Navy. His military service brought him to California, the place that would become his home and where he would raise his family, pursue his education, answer his call to ministry, and become a respected spiritual and community leader.

Pastor Clark’s formal journey into ministry began at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Altadena, CA, which he joined in 1978. In the fall of 1980, under the leadership of Reverend J. Edward Henry, he publicly acknowledged his call to ministry and preached his first sermon, centered on a message that would become a guiding principle throughout his life: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

In 1981, Pastor Clark moved to Riverside, CA, to pursue ministerial studies at California Baptist University. As his education and ministry developed, he served as Youth Minister at Second Baptist Church in Riverside, CA, and subsequently served at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Rubidoux, CA, under Pastor Charles Coleman; Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Pomona, CA, under Pastor David Hurst; and Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, CA, under Pastor James D. Carrington. He was mentored by the late Dr. James Elliott Mason of Trinity Baptist Church in Los Angeles, CA.

On November 19, 2003, Pastor Clark was called to pastor New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana, CA, where he would serve for almost 23 years. His ministry extended well beyond the pulpit through counseling, mentoring, pastoral care, civic engagement, and efforts to strengthen the African American community in Orange County. He also helped grieving families at Forest Lawn and Rose Hills mortuaries lay their loved ones to rest.

Pastor Clark served as President of the Orange County Ministers Conference. He was involved with the Orange County Heritage Council, including efforts to revive the Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival. In 2026, the Orange County Heritage Council honored him with its Faith in Action Award. He also served on the Interfaith Committee and with the Orange County Transit Authority’s Diverse Community Leaders group. In 2024, he was a recipient of the Orange County Southern Baptist Association Hall of Faith award. He served alongside his wife Andrea on the planning committee for Disneyland's Black History Month Celebrate Gospel concert series. In addition, he helped establish the Clinton College Class of 1974 Endowment Scholarship in South Carolina to support his junior college.

Pastor Clark’s homegoing services will begin with a wake at New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana on Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A service where attendees can share memories will be held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. His homegoing service will be held on what would have been his 73rd birthday, on Friday, October 2, 2026, at Friendship Baptist Church, with a viewing at noon and the service at 1 p.m. He will be laid to rest with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 10:15 a.m.

He leaves behind his wife, Andrea Joyles-Clark; six children: Shawn Williams and wife Nia, Le Ondra Clark Harvey and husband Charles, Kyla Coward and husband Jack, Joshua Clark, Marissa Clark, and Ashley Clark; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; siblings: Cynthia Brown (Walter), Sharon Hubbard (Alonza), Shenika Clark, Gregory Clark, Mary Clark (deceased), and Carolyn Collins (Albert) (deceased); several siblings through his father, James (Jim) Ford, including some with whom he forged a special bond, including Etherine Fortune, James Leonard Bruton (Michelle), Brenda Covington, Perry Stuckey (Cynthia), Benny Stuckey (Lenora), Angela Galloway, and Katie Jean Reid (Dwight); ex-wife, Roslyn Turner Hill; extended family; his New Spirit church family; and a broad community of people touched by more than four decades of ministry and service.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” For Reverend Leon Willliam Clark, those words became a life’s work.