Major Gary W. Clark USAF (Ret.), 82, of Nipomo, California, who was a decorated Vietnam War veteran, patriot, hero, beloved father and husband, passed away on Friday, July 22, 2022. Gary was born on May 6, 1940, in Greensburg, Kansas, to Wallace and Lorene Clark.
He graduated from Wichita East High School, Class of 1958 and went on to earn his BS in Aeronautical Engineering at Wichita State University, Class of 1964. He completed 60 units of graduate credit at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 1973-1974.
Gary completed 20 years of active duty in the United States Air Force, where he flew C-130s as a navigator in Vietnam and the Berlin Corridor during both the Vietnam (Clark AB Philippines and Fort Bragg, NC) and Cold War (Rhein Main AB, Germany), as well as managed flight test programs as an engineer depending on where he was stationed. He then went on to complete 20 years of employment as Flight Test Manager C-17 at The Boeing Company (formerly McDonnell Douglas) in Long Beach, California.
Gary only loved one thing above his love for life, cars, airplanes and his country, and that was his family.
Survived by his wife, Lee, and by sister; Diana Clark; sons; Mark (Christine) Clark, Stephen (Nidia) Clark; daughters; Angela (Joerg) Schlafke, Ashley (Michael) Davidson-Fisher; grandchildren; Sydney (Violeta) Clark-Uy, Tyler, Andrew, Brandon Clark, Max and Sophie Schlafke, Natasha Renes, Martinique, Brenton, Cambria and Presley Fisher; great-grandchildren; Makenzie, Mikayla and Makenna Renes. He was deeply loved by family and admired by all who knew him. His memory will live in our hearts forever and he will be greatly missed. A chapel service will be held at Los Osos Valley Mortuary Memorial Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to https://tribute.michaeljfox.org/tribute-page.php?id=2410.
Condolences may be offered at www.dignitymemorial.com.
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