L. Kenneth Clarke

Leon Kenneth "Ken" Clarke has been blessed for 87 active years of loving devotion to God, his family, his community, and his country: after a short illness, he entered the Lord's rest on November 12, 2016 with his large, capable hands clasping those of his children.

Proud progenitor of two children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, Ken is survived by his second wife, Betty Paulsen Clarke; daughter, Zane Tyson with her husband Roger; son, Tod Clarke with his wife Jennifer; grandchildren Ryleigh Tyson, Erica Clarke, Mercedes Tyson, Sean Clarke, and Morgan Clarke-Sandel Kemble with her husband Michael; great-grandchildren Harper, Rowan, Aislinn, Griffith, and Gweneth Kemble; and step-great-grandchildren Meredith and Dylan Kemble. Ken is also survived by his Stepchildren, Eric Paulsen, Will Paulsen and Molly Paulsen McBirney, and their seven children and seven grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife of 37 years and mother of his children, Nancy Edgar Clarke; his parents Leon and Ollie Mae Clarke; sisters Helen Crenshaw, Sidney Dugan, and Joyce Adams; and brother Robert Clarke.

Born and raised in Mercedes, Texas, Ken earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration at Texas A&I University then enlisted in the US Navy in 1951 as the Korean Conflict began. During his four years with the Navy Ken graduated from OCS and served as a Lieutenant, later qualifying as a member of the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT). He served as a navigator on the destroyer USS James C. Owens (DD-776) which saw action while patrolling the Korean coast, and on the USS Apache (AT-67/ATF-67), a fleet ocean tug which played a role in Operation Castle, hydrogen bomb testing conducted at Bikini Atoll in the west Pacific Marshall Islands.

After his honorable discharge in 1954 he and his beloved Nancy married and spent the first four years of their life together in Liberal, Kansas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In early 1959 they moved with infant daughter Zane to Houston, Texas, where son Tod joined the family. Ken and Nancy moved their family to the neighboring town of Spring in 1966, residing there for the next 12 years. During that time Ken was active as a church officer and choir member in Spring Woods United Methodist Church. He was elected to the Klein ISD School Board and served as Secretary from 1969 to 1972, where he was instrumental in recruiting and installing Dr. Don Collins as district Superintendent.

Ken served 31 distinguished years as a Petroleum Landman with Carter Oil Company, Humble Oil & Refining Company and Exxon Company, USA, where he was instrumental in the training of newly hired landmen and drafted the training manuals that were used for many years. He served as the leader of the Special Trades Unit, overseeing the trades for all divisions. He made numerous friends at Exxon and became known as the "Poet Lariat" for the humorous poems and anecdotes he wrote and shared at various company celebrations for his peers. Ken was an active member of the American Association of Professional Landmen for over 30 years.

Following retirement from Exxon, in 1988 Ken and Nancy moved to the Canyon Lake area in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Sadly, their life together there was short-lived, with Nancy succumbing to Alzheimer's Disease in 1997. A happy juxtaposition of circumstances led to his marriage later that year to his former high school sweetheart, Betty Davis Paulsen, and they spent 17 contented years in Columbus, Texas, where Ken served in various capacities at the First United Methodist Church of Columbus and sang in the church and community choirs. Ken did love to sing! In 2014, a decline in Betty's health prompted her move to a memory care facility near her children, and Ken's health deteriorated such that he relocated to a memory care facility near his son in San Antonio. He fortunately recovered the best part of his faculties and entertained family, staff, and visitors with his good spirits, singing, leadership, and wonderful sense of humor for the remainder of his life.

As a lifelong church-goer he was an active and enthusiastic participant in every church that welcomed him, singing in the choirs and filling various church committee positions. The churches Ken lovingly served include First United Methodist Church in Mercedes, Gethsemane United Methodist Church in Houston, Spring Woods United Methodist in Spring, Church In The Valley in Canyon Lake, and First United Methodist Church in Columbus.

Music was a mainstay of Ken's life. He was surrounded by music during his formative years and later contributed his deep bass voice to his high school, university, Navy, and church choirs. In his final years a minor stroke left him with expressive aphasia (a calamity for a gregarious man who loved to exchange ideas with those around him) and singing was instrumental in his recovery.

A born handyman, Ken could turn his hand to nearly any task and he taught his children to do the same. He lived to serve others, whether by teaching a young neighbor how to repair a bike and tie a hook on fishing line, building the children's playground at church, cutting down and removing dead trees from a neighbor's yard, towing someone's broken-down boat back to a marina, caring for a stricken wife, or sharing the word of God with caregivers and kitchen staff at his memory care facility.

Ken met everyone with his huge, warm smile and lifted those around him with encouraging words. His glass was always well more than half full. His departure has left a huge chasm but the many memories of him will keep him alive for all who were fortunate enough to know him. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to Heifer International or World Vision.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

1:00 P.M.

RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH

1100 BULVERDE ROAD

BULVERDE, TEXAS 78163

MEMORIAL SERVICE

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2016

11:00 A.M.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF COLUMBUS

1229 MILAM STREET

COLUMBUS, TEXAS 78934