John Jack Clarke

John Jack Clarke died Thursday, May 13, 2021, at the Haven of Lakeside in Lakeside, Arizona.  He was 78 years old. John was born on a Thursday, October 1, 1942, in Bell, Los Angeles County, California to his parents, the late John Reblett "Jack" and Effie Helen (Merrill) Clarke.

John met and married his first wife, Judy Mae Erwin. They toiled down the road of life together and raised a few mighty good kids.  Though their union may have ended, the love and friendship they had for each did not.  He later married another Judy and he adopted her littler girl, Celeste. Later, a son, Jeff, was born to their union. On September 30, 1991, John married Donna Rae Romine in Las Vegas, Nevada.  With their union, their families were magnified and grew.  John and Donna were looking forward to celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary later this year.  Theirs was a happy life together and they loved to see their family grow. 

John was an incredibly hard worker.  At a young age, he knew the importance of working hard and in doing his best, no matter what the task may have been.  He worked for 40+ years for John Webster and his family in the construction business in Yuma.  There wasn't much John couldn't do when it came to building.  He was an honest man and he appreciated and valued the relationship that he had with the Webster family.  In his younger years, John bought a bee business in Wellton, Arizona which kept him pretty busy during the warm summer months.  He ran that business for 20 plus years and saw an awful lot of honey during his tenure. 

John loved the diverse beauty of Arizona.  He and Donna not only had their home in Yuma but also had a mountain retreat in Linden, Arizona in the heart of the White Mountains.  He was an avid outdoorsman and was quite the hunter.  He regularly hunted deer in the Unit 41 near Wellton.  He also hunted elk and antelope in the cooler mountains outside of Flagstaff.  John also appreciated a quiet day on the lake fishing.  Just about any fishing hole was his favorite fishing hole.  He enjoyed the time that he was able to spend with his family on camping trips and loved to take off-road trail rides on his Jeeps. 

The uniqueness of this man will be missed by anyone who has had the privilege to call him his friend but, none will miss him more than those that he called his family.  John Jack Clarke is survived by his wife, Donna Rae Clarke of both Linden and Yuma, Arizona; 8 children: James (Sherri) Tate of Somerton, Arizona, William (Emily) Clarke of Yuma, Arizona, Shelly Smits of Ferndale, Washington, Harold (Marie) Tate of Elyria, Ohio, Kimberly Roberts Tate of Sandpoint, Idaho, Celeste Clarke Lloyd of Sault Ste., Michigan, Tracy Scott (Heidi) Tate of Deer Lake, Washington, Jeffry (Brianna) Clarke of Rim Rock, Arizona; 4 siblings: Ruth Blanton, Candy (Jerri) Clarke, Herman (Linna) Clarke, Jackie (Richard "Dick") Clark; 23 grandchildren and 17 great-grandkids.  Along with his parents, John was preceded in death by his sister, Helen "Babe" Hart and by his brother, Richie Clarke.

John's family is thankful for the kind acts of others they have received during this difficult time and are especially grateful for all the prayers offered up in their behalf.