Charles "Joe" Roy Clark

Charles “Joe” Clark

(March 29, 1934 – October 14, 2025)

Charles “Joe” Clark, 91, of Lake Placid, Florida went home to be with his Lord on October 14, 2025, at his residence. He was born March 29, 1934, in Crowville, Louisiana, to James Wallace and Alice Pearl (Stroud) Clark. Charles was a beloved father, grandfather and husband with a distinguished career in the military and management.

Joe was the fifth of seven children and grew up on a rural farm near Baskin, Louisiana. He graduated from Baskin High School and worked as a farmhand to put himself through Louisiana State University, graduating with a BS in Dairy Cattle Production. He joined the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant and worked assignments as a navigator on the KC-97 and KC-135 tankers in Idaho, Texas and Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He then became a manager for the Air Force, completing assignments in Canada, Pennsylvania, Saigon, Vietnam and Bentwaters, UK where he was Director of Logistics for the largest Air Force base in Europe during the Cold War. He earned his MBA during his time in England. He ended his twenty-year military career in 1977, as a member of the Inspector General team in California, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

He worked for another 18 years as a program director for Rockwell/Collins Corporation in Dallas, Texas installing state-of-the-art communication equipment on Air Force One and the Apache helicopter. He moved to Marshall, Texas with Rockwell in 1987, and retired in 1997. Being extremely industrious, he taught himself to cook for his family, to be an auto mechanic, and remodeled his entire home in Dallas, Texas, enlisting and teaching his children all these skills as he went. After his home remodel in Dallas, he and Ros built a new one from the ground up in Marshall, Texas. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and traveled all over the country to see them.

He married Roslyn Gantt in 1961. He is survived by his children Charles Kevin Clark, Gregory Carl Clark (Ann), and Melinda Kaye Clark (Timothy), his seven grandchildren, Amanda, Jordan, Lance, Amelia, Kate, Sadie and Delaney. He loved all his family and was ceaseless in his efforts to support them.

Joe and Ros moved to Sebring, Florida in 2006, where he faithfully supported Ros through Alzheimer’s disease for the last years of her life. He loved living in Florida and became a deacon at First Baptist Church of Lake Josephine where he had many responsibilities including singing in the choir. He met and married his beloved wife, Linda Cunniff in March 2023. They had 2 1/2 wonderful years together before he lost his battle with cancer and heart disease.

He is predeceased by his parents, his wife Roslyn, and siblings Geraldine, Lorraine, Bobby and Wesley. He is also survived by his siblings Joyce Haywood and Sherman Clark; sister-in-law, Jean Clark; special niece, Donna (Steve) Gantt and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 10:30 AM at First Baptist Church of Lake Josephine, 111 Lake Josephine Dr., Sebring with Pastor Stephen Ahrens officiating.

A graveside service will be held Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Hurricane Cemetery, 2213 Hwy 519, Athens, Louisiana.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to First Baptist Church of Lake Josephine in memory of Joe Clark.

Arrangements entrusted to:
Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home
4001 Sebring Parkway
Sebring, FL 33870
Online condolences may be left at:
www.stephensonnelsonfh.com