Larry Ross Clark

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Larry Clark passed away at the age of 76. Larry is survived by his wife, Debi, and his sister, Nancy, and Debi's entire Plumb/Turner family, and his labrador, Remy.

Larry was a true Santa Barbara local. He was born at Cottage Hospital on May 7, 1949, to Harry & Pat Clark. He was so tiny at birth that his father said he looked like a bag of bones and wondered if the hospital bill of $500 was an overcharge. He inherited his father's sense of adventure and his mother's quirky sense of humor. Larry attended Monroe and Harding for grade school, La Cumbre Middle School, and graduated from Santa Barbara High School. He attended Santa Barbara City College and Pasadena City College for his introduction to architecture. He graduated in 1974 from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo School of Architecture.

Larry loved the ocean whether it was swimming, surfing, snorkeling or walking on the beach. He was a member of the Hope Ranch Surf Club and surfed the Channel Islands, Hawaii, France, and all the local Santa Barbara spots. Debi said he surfed like Perry Como; smooth and effortless. His favorite time of day was walking Rincon beach with one of his beloved Labradors.

Larry was a unique architect. He never wanted to work in a formal office. He got up every day, put on his flip flops, sat at his desk, and thought through every project. He consistently paid attention to clients, ensuring their ideas were brought to life as they envisioned. He never learned CAD drafting because he said that when he put the lead down on paper, he could feel the building design in his hands. He was always taking pictures of all his adventures and then filling sketchbooks with paintings.

Larry loved to travel. Debi and he went for a 6-week trip to Europe for their first great adventure. Their travels took them to the East Coast, the San Juan Islands, Northern California, the UP of Michigan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, Tahiti and Hawaii. Spain held a special spot in his heart as he loved Spanish architecture. In the last few years, there have been amazing snorkeling trips to Raja Ampat, Palau, and the Solomon Islands.

Larry will be missed but never forgotten. Always the last one on the plane, the boat, the car but the first one you could always depend on. As he always said, I have been playing on house money for years…he lived every day to the fullest. Donations can be made to the Carpinteria Children's Project or the Girls Club of Carpinteria. A private celebration of his life will be held in late April.