WWII Veteran Edwin "Ed" Clark

Our dear Ed passed away at the age of 93 on Jan. 25th, 2019. It's always difficult to describe someone in a few words, but it seems especially true when it comes to our Husband, Father & Grandfather, Ed Clark. He was such a character we would always say "they threw away the mold when they made him." Ed was the seventh of eight children born into a very poor family in the small cotton mill town of Griffin, Georgia. His mother died when he was 8, so to help out the family he worked a variety of odd jobs as a child. Quite the storyteller, we would sit around the table listening to his many crazy tales of being a shoeshine boy, bowling alley pinsetter, soda jerk, and errand boy for the mill workers. WWII broke out when Ed was just 17, and he received special permission from his father to join the US Navy, missing his high school graduation. He served on the submarine, "USS Pipefish," from 1943-45, loading torpedoes, engaging in combat and rescuing downed aviators in the Pacific until the end of the war. He returned to Georgia for a short time and got right to work and what hard a worker he was; his work ethic and generosity were beyond compare. Ed was always ready for the next opportunity to earn a buck; he didn't shy away from challenges and was never afraid to apply his brains and elbow grease to get the job done. Typical of Ed, he used the first bit of money he earned to buy his dad a new house. Ed met his wife, Nancy, a nurse from Dayton, Ohio when friends arranged a blind date to the 1956 Indianapolis 500. They were married in 1958 and had three children and later four grandchildren. He jokingly referred to his wedding day as "the darkest day of my life," but he lived to see his 61st wedding anniversary. He loved his family very much. A salesman to his core, Ed climbed the corporate ladder of several national companies and moved his family many times across the US. He brought the family to the Sacramento area in 1976 where he started his own venture, "Top Brands Wholesale Distributing Co." Ed had great business acumen, a natural propensity for numbers and would say "Step into my office and sharpen your pencil" or "Let's do the numbers" before making a deal. Always a powerful leader and an entrepreneur at heart, he was a tough but fair boss, employed many people and mentored those interested in making it on their own in finance and business. He rarely (if ever) paid full retail price for anything! Ed loved real estate from early on and at various times owned apartment buildings and other residential and commercial properties. In the 80's he purchased and developed "La Cresta," a fifty-acre parcel in El Dorado Hills and later rehabbed small businesses and a historic bank building on the K Street Mall in downtown Sacramento. A man for all seasons, we are so proud of him and all his accomplishments. He will be greatly missed by his family and all who loved him. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughters Elizabeth Clark and Victoria (Mark) Anderson, son Jeffrey (Patti), and four grandchildren: Brandon and Catherine Clark and Cameron and Alexandra Anderson. Interment will be at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery at a later date.