CLARK, Artie

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Thursday, March 14, 2013 Artie Clark was born in Promise City, Iowa, in 1916. He grew up on a farm with his older brother Archie and his parents Rilla and Leora. When he was born, he weighed just over a pound and slept in a cigar box. They didn't have electricity on their farm until the 1930s. Artie always loved animals and had many pets throughout his life. He had a dog named "Cutie" that was always by his side, a pet bullfrog that rode horseback with him, and a pet fox which he named Foxy. To go the 7 miles to school, he would ride horseback or walk. As a family, they traveled in their wagon until they got their first car. He had a very happy childhood. On his birthday in 1943, he met the love of his life. While at Carroll College in Wisconsin, he was approached by Louanna. Little did he know that he was the object of a bet. Her sorority sisters had come up with a contest to see which of them could get the first date with the newly arrived soldiers. Soon they were dating and fell in love. They were married at Niagara Falls, N.Y., the following year. They shared 67 wonderful years together, until Louanna passed away in 2012. He was always there for her and was by her side until the very end. From 1941 to 1945, Artie was in the Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. During this time, they lived in California, Texas, Ohio and Arizona. They moved frequently and made many lifelong friends. While living in California, they attended the very first "I Love Lucy Show" and numerous other shows that they received tickets for. Eventually, they settled in Phoenix, Ariz., where they had their two daughters, Sandy and Nancy. Art worked at AirResearch for 25 years in aerospace research. He was also a Reserve Highway Patrolman with AZ DPS for 22 years. He also worked on the moon rover and built Lemans race cars. Artie enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, target shooting, making things, writing stories and spending time with his friends and family. They bought land in Fairfield, Idaho, where he built a home for them to enjoy. Art and Louanna spent 37 wonderful summers there. Many of those summers were spent with their grandchildren, Michelle and Sherri. They enjoyed fishing, looking for animals, visiting friends and going to Sun Valley Lodge. Artie has lived at Prescott Valley Samaritan Center for the past 4 1/2 years, where he was truly loved and cared for. Artie passed peacefully away on March 9, 2013, with Nancy by his side. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, March 18, 2013, at Prescott Valley Samaritan Center. A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. at Heritage Memorial Park, with military honors. In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to the PVSC Activities Dept., 3380 N. Windsong Drive, Prescott, AZ 86314. Services entrusted to Heritage Memory Mortuary, Prescott. For Artie's online guestbook, please visit www.heritagefuneralchapels.com. Information provided by survivors.