August 2009

Time does not heal all wounds. Time softens the blows, but the wounds remain for eternity.

In Memory of William I. Clark 1936-2009

William Irving Clark
Bill Clark passed away on January 22, 2009 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis in the presence of his loving family and friends. In his early years, Bill attended Milton Academy and later attended and graduated from Avon Old Farms in CT where he developed a strong appreciation for art and nature was able to learn lifelong lessons from the natural landscape of the campus. As he journeyed into manhood, he developed the strong core values of honesty, integrity, and respect for all humankind that would sustain him throughout his life. He lived the life of a constant gentleman.

After graduation from Avon Old Farms, he attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. His education was interrupted during the Korean War period. After serving in the armed forces in Japan, he was stationed at Walter Reed Hospital, where he worked in media and film. After his military service, he attended Parsons School of Design in New York City. He lived in historic Greenwich Village when the nation was in its most creative era. Immersed in an environment rich in cultural resources, Bill found his own natural creative talent of artistic design that would be evident throughout his life.

During his summers at his parent’s home in Martha’s Vineyard, Bill met and later married his wife Nancy. They lived in Marshfield, MA, and had three children: Billy, Greg, and Laura. Throughout his life, Bill loved his family above all things, and was very proud of his children and delighted in his grandchildren.

In the early 1980s, Bill worked as Vice President and Creative Director of Marketing at Kenyon & Eckhardt, a subsidiary of Lorimar Productions, in Boston. He won numerous awards for his work throughout his career and authored several highly successful advertising campaigns, including John Deere and Eldred Wheeler. After the company merged with Bozell Jacobs to become Bozell Jacobs Kenyon Eckhardt, Bill retired from the company in the early 1990s.

During his retirement, Bill was a lover of nature and enjoyed working in his wonderful gardens, feeding the birds, visiting art museums and antique shops, and the sea. He enjoyed spend much of his leisure time with his long-time friend, Anna, who shared his love. His daily routine included picking up his mail at the post office and heading to Fancy’s Market in Osterville for a sandwich, bringing it the beach, usually the Sandwich boardwalk, where he was a peace with the world. On weekends, he spent time visiting the antique shops, where he was longtime friends with the owners and staff and enjoying lunch with Anna at the Dunbar Tea Room or the Daniel Webster Inn. Over the course of his life, he enjoyed all things nature and art, including antique furniture and homes. He lived in a quiet grace that elevated all those whose lives he touched. His memory is a lesson to us all of accepting what life gives with grace and gratitude and perseverance.

Here is a quote that reminds me of Bill’s love of his garden.

“I have often thought that if heaven had given me a choice of my position and calling, it would have been on a rich spot of earth. No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."

Thomas Jefferson, 1811