John Charles Clark

John Charles Clark passed away peacefully January 20th at the Gordon Hospice House.  He was born in Statesville on October 30, 1935 to the late Charles Christopher Clark and Effie West Clark.  He graduated from Statesville High School, attended The Citadel and graduated from Wake Forest College in 1959. He was a member of Broad Street United Methodist Church and was currently serving on the Board of Trustees at the time of his death. In 1959, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, proudly served his country at Camp Wolters in Mineral Wells, Texas for two years, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and continued to serve in the Army National Guard until 1965. Also in 1959, he married Marybelle Horton, who preceded him in death on May 27, 2016. Johnny and Marybelle returned to Statesville in 1961 and he joined Webb Insurance as an agent. He loved to tell the story of how he drove his pregnant wife and a basset hound from Texas while towing his beloved 1944 Willys jeep because Marybelle didn’t want to have a baby anywhere but Statesville.  That year was the beginning of a nearly 56-year career as an insurance agent serving the hometown he loved. In 1988, he was elected President of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina.  During his tenure he was instrumental in establishing the Richard S. Brantley Risk and Insurance Center in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University, which he always considered his greatest contribution to the insurance industry.  He was associated with the Webb Agency until 1993. He and John Robinson started the Robinson – Clark/Piedmont Insurance Agency, which ultimately merged with Walker Insurance in 2001.  He retired on December 31, 2016. Active in civic affairs his entire working career, he served on many local boards and was closely involved in the opening of the Statesville Family YMCA in the 1970s. Visiting Steve Hill and the Statesville Historical Collection was one of his favorite past times in recent years. Johnny was a proud Rotarian, one of the longest serving members of the Statesville Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Fellow and Club President in 1978-9. He was an avid bicyclist and completed several major rides while in his 60s, including the Assault on Mt. Mitchell and the Bridge to Bridge ride up Grandfather Mountain.  He also loved traveling on his BMW motorcycle and continued to ride until his health prevented it. He had a deep love of nature and hiking and watching the birds in his back yard. As a veteran, he was a military enthusiast and was honored to be invited to attend the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, PA in 2010.  He also served as a guardian for the military “WWII Flights of Honor” and made several trips to Washington, DC with WWII vets to see the WWII Memorial. It was especially meaningful for him to be able to escort several men in the Statesville community he always admired while growing up here. He lost his sister, Jane Clark Wasson in 2008 and his brother-in-law, Frank James Wasson, Jr. in December of 2016.  He is survived by his daughter, Mary Dawne Clark, son, John Charles “Chip” Clark, Jr. (Julie) and his grandchildren, John Charles “Chase” Clark, III and Logan Clark and their mother Kim Hewitt Clark. He is also survived by a niece, Lenora Wasson Sparks (Adam) and their son Aaron and numerous Clark and West cousins.   When people asked him what he did for a living, he would always reply, "I'm just an insurance peddler."  But those who were blessed enough to be a part of his life knew him as a man of faith who was loyal and persistent in his work, who loved his family and friends, and loved Statesville. We cannot adequately express our immense gratitude to Dr. Amy McLaurin, Elizabeth Rodden and the staff at Piedmont Endocrinology for always going the extra mile to keep his diabetes in check.  Even though his Hospice stay was less than 24 hours, we are also very grateful for the support of Terri Phillips and her staff to have him admitted quickly and peacefully. A Memorial Service will be held Friday, January 27 at 2:00 at Broad St. United Methodist Church with a reception in Memorial Hall after.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Fifth St. Ministries or Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell.  Condolences may be sent online to the family to www.nicholsonfunerals.com . Nicholson Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrrangements.