FRANK R. CLARK

As we began writing this tribute for our Bobby, we want to share what a blessing he was to everyone he met. In exchanging stories with his sister and discussing his teenage years, we soon learned that our sweet and gentle Bobby was a curly, red-headed wild and adventurous young man!

On January 28, 1951, Frank Robert Clark made his debut into the world in Oklahoma City and was welcomed into the lives of his parents, Frank Rinker Clark Jr. & Zoe Evelyn Crews Clark, and his sister Lynn Clark Munn. He spent his childhood in Tulsa before his dad’s transfers with Exxon placed the family in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Houston. Bobby was blessed with loving Christian parents and enjoyed many memorable family vacations.  If you knew Bobby, you knew he was a history buff and super smart.  His love of history was fueled by the many stops the family made reading historical markers and park information during their travels.  In his early 20’s, he took his love for adventure on the road and across the nation and discovered himself in the mountains, the rugged outdoors, and his cabin in Ennis, Montana.   His seismographic work in the mountainous areas of Wyoming, Montana, California, and North and South Dakota earned him the nickname “Gravity Bob.”  Being dropped from a helicopter with a 60-70 pound backpack filled with equipment, he spent his days traversing the layout of the land and his evenings in a one-room rustic cabin on a hill overlooking the Madison Mountain Range.

During a bad snowstorm on December 27, 1979, his only biological child Melodie was born.   Before Melodie, his Great Dane, Jack Daniels, was his baby.  Since the hospital would not allow the family dog to visit, and the new daddy wanted the dog to see his new sister, Bobby took Jack Daniels to see Melodie through the hospital window.  This simple act reveals his soft heart and love for animals.

Bobby’s work later placed him in Dallas.  During his time there, he looked forward to visits from Melodie.  Their time together included fishing every day on Lake Tawakoni.    He also adopted his beloved basset hound, Bodie, who quickly became his loyal companion.  We relish the idea that Bodie’s floppy ears were airborne as he flew to greet his favorite human at the gates of Heaven.

The second half of Bob’s life was spent back in his home state of Texas, where he spent over 25 years as a Right of Way agent at the Texas Department of Transportation. He began as an Agent I, at the bottom of the pay rung, and worked his way to District Right of Way Administrator then served as South Region Right of Way Supervisor. During his employment at TxDot and through the contacts of mutual friends, he met, fell in love, and married his wife/his life, Doris Brocker Clark.

Following his retirement in August of 2013, he accepted an opportunity with O.R. Colan to assist in the acquisition of 45 parcels of property in the Grand Parkway area of Houston. His expertise and ability to negotiate with property owners led him to help with the addition of parcels for the expansion of State Highway 36 in Fort Bend County. He was also deeply passionate about his work with Sidewalk Sunday School, an outreach of Faith Family Church in Victoria. Bob was a humble man and lived out Mark 12:31 “Love thy neighbor as yourself”

His marriage to Doris on June 6, 2009, occurred poolside at their home, surrounded by family and close friends. Few people ever experience the deep love they shared.  In 2014, they decided to design and build a new home together on their original homestead among the beautiful oak trees.   In 2015, they moved into their new home and, through their travels, purchased décor that reflected their love of Native American pottery, rugs, and rocks. They devoted much time entertaining immediate and extended family and friends at their home, affectionately called Clark’s Park.  According to Bobby, Doris was always bringing home more plants, and they didn’t have enough places to put them while Doris teased him about his love of banana trees and how he wanted to have them everywhere!

They worked alongside each other, making their property into a beautiful paradise to share with those they loved.  Family time was always important. 

They shared a love for time with family, animals, gardening, landscaping, travel, and quiet evenings in the pool and on the porch. They spent most of their days using their talents and fulfilling their creative desires in the studio, the yard, or the rock shop. Although the days were busy, they always carved out time to plan future travel that often included being rockhounds.  They could always be seen together running errands, attending appointments, and enjoying sporting events of the grandchildren. The upcoming presidential election provided many hours discussing politics and watching Fox news, and they were excited to cast their in-person votes for Trump in November!

Their appreciation for travel and nature took them to many beautiful places, including multiple trips to Wyoming to visit Melodie and family, exploring Costa Rica with close friends, camping for several weeks during the summer in Puerto Penasco located on the Sea of Cortez, an Alaskan cruise of the inside passage, and shopping in Sante Fe. Their love of rock hunting steered them to destinations in New Mexico, Colorado, and one of their favorites, Sedona, Arizona.  Although their time together and future travels ended way too soon, the memories created will forever be bittersweet for his wife/his life and all of us that had the opportunity to travel alongside them.

Bob’s long family line of geologists helped form his interest in rocks and lapidary. For those who ever visited their home noticed that the landscaping includes a wide variety of stones.  You could always hear Bobby’s tumblers polishing.  Strike up a conversation about rocks, fossils, or places of interest, and the talks could go on for hours. Bob was a member of the Victoria Gem and Mineral Society. At the Hallettsville Market Days, Bobby’s booth was a big hit for kids and adults.   His creative “Spin the Wheel” for polished rocks sparked the interest of many.  His rock presentations at local schools touched the lives of many youngsters and taught them an appreciation for rocks and their formation.

With thunderous applause and the angels singing, our Bobby ascended into Heaven on September 2, 2020, surrounded by those who loved him.  He was welcomed by his parents, his in-laws, Mike and Marie Brocker, and Pete and Arva Christensen, Melodie’s mother, Tanya Christensen, and his granddaughter, Haven Marie Pekar. Also excited to see him was his furry friend, Bodie, and other family and friends. Following his wishes, Bob was cremated, and a celebration of life for family and close friends will be held at a future date.

He leaves the following to treasure every moment shared with him: his wife, Doris Brocker Clark, his sister, Lynn Clark Munn, daughters, Melodie Clark (Levi), Rachel Clark Parsons (Rick), Paula Horton Grahmann (Michael), and close family friend, Jake Johnson. His grandchildren, Lyric and Alee Johnson, Brynlee Steed, Dylan, and Kyler Pekar, Kendra Parsons Boone (Brandt), and great-grandson Brooks Boone, Dalton, Elizabeth, Elena, and Alex Grahmann. We will all forever remember his beautiful prayers before meals, his presence at just about every school event, the example of true love he and Mimi shared, and his knowledge about almost everything! The love of Bob extended throughout the family. He will be also be missed by his sister in laws Patty Brocker, Carol Brocker Barre (Tommy), and Suzi Christensen (Karl).

A huge thank you to the ICU staff at Citizen’s Hospital for the kindness, compassion, and support showed to our family during his hospitalization for pneumonia.  His wife’s daily visits included warm hugs, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes, many exchanges of I Love You, and lots of holding hands. To those of you that have reached out via texts, phone calls, cards, social media comments, provided food, checked in on us daily, and surrounded us with love and covered us in prayer, we are beyond grateful. The loss of our brother, husband, dad, grandpa, also affectionately known as Bobby, will forever leave a hole in our hearts. The reality is that life can change in an instant. Hold your loved ones closer; take lots of photos and treasure every single moment!

As the saying goes: We would rather have loved him and lost him than never to have had him at all! It just was not long enough, but honestly, it never is!

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