William Bolton "Bill" Clark

1926 - 2014

William "Bill"
Bolton Clark
8/17/1926 - 9/18/2014




William "Bill" Bolton Clark passed away September 18, 2014 at the age of 88 in Santa Rosa, Calif. He was born August 17, 1926 in Escondido Calif., the youngest of eight. His parents both immigrated through Ellis Island, N.Y., father, Alfred Bolton Clark, from England and Mother, Anna Steiger, from Switzerland.
At a young age the family moved to Auburn, Calif., and operated the Millers Lunch restaurant near Clipper Gap where he attended the Clipper Gap one room school. He attended Placer High school where he was a standout Hillman football player. He was fond of reciting a rather "colorful" Hillman fight song.
At the tail end of World War II he joined the Navy sailing to China on the USS La Vallette. Back in Auburn, Bill and his older brothers built houses in the Awali Heights neighborhood (Racetrack and Clark Street). He loved riding his Indian Chief as a member of the "Snake Eyes" motorcycle club, and Bill was a long time member of the Auburn Ski Club and ski jumped at the Cisco Ski Grounds. He also ski raced as a member of the Donner Summit racing club. He introduced his children Bill Jr., and Nancy to skiing that has carried through to his grandchildren as a lifelong sport. In the early 1950's he raced, and often won, "Hardtop" races driving the Flowers Tire and the Hughes Brothers car at the Auburn Fairgrounds dirt track speedway.
Bill and his friends enjoyed many family jeep trip adventures in the Sierra. The goal always seemed to get stuck in a remote place so the men could winch and struggle to get free as the wives and kids looked on. The trips were all the better if the men could use their skills to patch together a broken jeep. When a buddy's winch failed, Bill's jeep floated down the Yuba River at Kingvale only to be pulled out, oil changed and the trip continued. Bill often said, "Anybody can work with the right tools, it takes a real mechanic to work with nothing", he always proved he was a real mechanic and could fix anything with nothing.
Bill and his brothers built and operated the Hill Top packing house in Roseville, Calif., later, he went to work selling real estate at Placer Land Co., with brother, Harry selling insurance. As a building contractor he developed houses in Auburn and Roseville. Later in life he enjoyed motor-home traveling and lived in Tucson, Ariz., and most recently Santa Rosa, Calif.
Bill is survived by his wife Marilyn Clark, his children; Bill Clark of Truckee, Calif., Nancy Clark of Paso Robles, Calif., grandchildren; Elise of Truckee, Calif., Kati of Truckee, Calif., Sarah of San Francisco, Calif., stepchildren; Peter Waller of Tucson, Ariz., Charlotte Waller of Bellingham, Wash., Mary Garrett of Bellevue Wash., John Waller III of Santa Rosa, Calif., and lifelong friend Eugene "Smitty" Smith of Auburn, Calif.
He will be missed by all. No services are planned.