James Irving Clark's Obituary
Aetna Township -Dr. James I. Clark, 94, formerly of Fennville, father, community physician, entrepreneur, and WWII Veteran, passed from this earth on Wednesday, March 4, 2015. James was born September 3, 1920, to Casper and Nina (Long) Clark, in what is now Taylor, Michigan. His mother died early in James's life from tuberculosis, and he spent his childhood in many places with his father, sister, and other relatives. During WWII, James served in the U.S. Army as a medic, treating many wounded soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge. He himself was wounded there and was awarded the Purple Heart for his service. In 1947, James married Shirley Dodge, and couple spent the next 59 years together until her death in 2006. He earned a Bachelor's degree at Michigan State University and graduated from University of Michigan Medical School, subsequently serving as town physician for Fennville, Michigan for a decade and then specializing in Pathology for the rest of his professional career. In the early 70's James went on to establish and operate a medical laboratory, Medical Pathfinders Inc., which serviced numerous hospitals in Michigan. Preceding him in death were his wife, Shirley, his son, Richard, sister, Helen, and great grandson, Nolan. He is survived by Rick's wife, Patti, five sons, Brian (wife- LaVonne), Mike (fiancé- Debbie Hesling), Terry (wife -Jody), Jim (wife Linda) and Bob (wife -Karen) and his daughter Becca (husband- Jeff Franks). Additionally, he was blessed to live to welcome 23 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. James's cremated remains will be interred at Fort Custer National Cemetery, at a date later this year, alongside those of his beloved wife, Shirley. Visitation will be held at 1:00-3:00 PM on Saturday, March 14, at the Fennville United Methodist Church, 5849 M-89 in Fennville, followed by a brief memory-sharing service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Holland Rescue Mission or the Salvation Army.
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