Gerald Walter Clark (Jerry) of Dallas, Texas passed from this world on November 27, 2025 at 95 years of age. He had moved to Dallas after he lost his home in the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, California. He had been left with nothing after fleeing the flames and came to Texas to rebuild his life at the age of eighty-eight.
The second of six sons born in San Diego to Doran Ross Clark and Fannie Carrie Royer Clark, (AKA Frances Kathryn Clark), on August 19, 1930, Jerry took over the cooking and cleaning for his family after his mother contracted polio when he was fourteen. She came home in a wheelchair after nine months in an iron lung and Jerry continued as a caregiver until he joined the US Navy after graduating from Grossmont High School in San Diego in 1948. He was serving aboard the USS Southerland when General McArthur led the Inchon Campaign which helped to keep South Korea from being overrun during the Korean War. He wore his Korean War Vet hat until he died.
After returning home from the service in August of 1952, Jerry started college under the GI Bill of Rights and later graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with an Engineering degree. He had a career of more than thirty years overseeing the installation of mechanical systems including HVAC and plumbing for large construction projects. Notably, for a number of years, he was a supervising engineer on the construction of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Clemente, California. He continued to consult on commercial engineering projects even after he retired from University Mechanical and Engineering Contractors (UMEC-CA).
In 1963, Jerry became an instant father when he married Ethel Bernice Juhl (Mickey), and began supporting her four sons, Richard, Michael, Scott, and Anthony. The family moved from La Mesa, California to the northern town of Paradise in 1995 and Jerry commuted to southern California during the week for work. After he retired, he helped Mickey raise their two granddaughters, Regan and Julie. When Mickey developed cancer, Jerry nursed her until her death in 2001. After her passing, Jerry filled his time with civic organizations including the Sons in Retirement (SIRS), a California-based men’s society, Elks, Moose, and the VFW. He also began bowling in local leagues and was proud of his 170-average as a bowler.
Jerry developed a loving relationship with a widowed bowler, Mary Byfield, in the mid-2000s and cared for her until she moved to Texas. They competed in bowling competitions, attended civic activities, and went dancing together until Mary went to live with her daughter. Then Jerry shared his home in Paradise with some of his children and grandchildren until it all burned down in November of 2018. Left with nothing, he moved to Dallas, Texas so that Mary’s daughter, Kay, could help him file his insurance and recover his personal documents. He spent the last eight years of his life living in a retirement community in Dallas. Jerry is survived by two sons, Dana Anthony and Scott, and grandchildren, Julie Meahl, Regan Gilberson Wise, Camie Roybal, and Cory Clark and numerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
The second of six sons born in San Diego to Doran Ross Clark and Fannie Carrie Royer Clark, (AKA Frances Kathryn Clark), on August 19, 1930, Jerry took over the cooking and cleaning for his family after his mother contracted polio when he was fourteen. She came home in a wheelchair after nine months in an iron lung and Jerry continued as a caregiver until he joined the US Navy after graduating from Grossmont High School in San Diego in 1948. He was serving aboard the USS Southerland when General McArthur led the Inchon Campaign which helped to keep South Korea from being overrun during the Korean War. He wore his Korean War Vet hat until he died.
After returning home from the service in August of 1952, Jerry started college under the GI Bill of Rights and later graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with an Engineering degree. He had a career of more than thirty years overseeing the installation of mechanical systems including HVAC and plumbing for large construction projects. Notably, for a number of years, he was a supervising engineer on the construction of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Clemente, California. He continued to consult on commercial engineering projects even after he retired from University Mechanical and Engineering Contractors (UMEC-CA).
In 1963, Jerry became an instant father when he married Ethel Bernice Juhl (Mickey), and began supporting her four sons, Richard, Michael, Scott, and Anthony. The family moved from La Mesa, California to the northern town of Paradise in 1995 and Jerry commuted to southern California during the week for work. After he retired, he helped Mickey raise their two granddaughters, Regan and Julie. When Mickey developed cancer, Jerry nursed her until her death in 2001. After her passing, Jerry filled his time with civic organizations including the Sons in Retirement (SIRS), a California-based men’s society, Elks, Moose, and the VFW. He also began bowling in local leagues and was proud of his 170-average as a bowler.
Jerry developed a loving relationship with a widowed bowler, Mary Byfield, in the mid-2000s and cared for her until she moved to Texas. They competed in bowling competitions, attended civic activities, and went dancing together until Mary went to live with her daughter. Then Jerry shared his home in Paradise with some of his children and grandchildren until it all burned down in November of 2018. Left with nothing, he moved to Dallas, Texas so that Mary’s daughter, Kay, could help him file his insurance and recover his personal documents. He spent the last eight years of his life living in a retirement community in Dallas. Jerry is survived by two sons, Dana Anthony and Scott, and grandchildren, Julie Meahl, Regan Gilberson Wise, Camie Roybal, and Cory Clark and numerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
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