Bob Clark, 75, of Pierre, SD, died on Friday, December 30, 2022. Memorial visitation will be from 5:00pm until 6:00pm, with a prayer service beginning at 6:00pm on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at Lutheran Memorial Church in Pierre. A memorial service will take place at 11:00am on Thursday, January 5, 2023 at Lutheran Memorial Church. Following the memorial service, the family wishes to invite all family and friends to Drifter’s in Fort Pierre for lunch and fellowship.

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Bob was born on November 4, 1947, to Bob and Nila Clark of Howard, South Dakota. Bob loved growing up in a small town where everyone treated each other as family. He was a talented athlete for the Howard Tigers and played football, basketball and baseball throughout high school. He went on to attend the University of South Dakota on a football scholarship and was a devoted ‘Yote for life. In 1970 he earned his Bachelor of Science in Education.

Bob spent the first nine years of his career teaching and coaching at Sioux Falls Lincoln High School. He loved coaching and mentoring his students and throughout his life was approached by former students who thanked him for inspiring them and making a difference in their lives. He also kept busy during this time teaching motorcycle training courses, DUI classes for the court system, and working on his Master’s degree which he earned from USD in 1974.

He met the love of his life, Pat, at USD and they were married in 1971. Their daughter, Cam, was born in 1975.

In 1979, Bob was ready for a new challenge and was hired as South Dakota Director of Highway Safety in Pierre, running all of the programming related to driver’s licensing and administering federal grant money to reduce highway accidents. This meant, among other things, that the Clark family members always followed the speed limit and wore their seat belts (with possibly one exception)…

Bob and Pat welcomed their son, Zach, in July 1979.

After six years with Highway Safety, Bob took on another challenge and entered the private sector as an insurance agent specializing in group and individual health insurance. He ran offices in both Pierre and Rapid City, marketing DakotaCare for central and western South Dakota. He also served on a number of task forces in his field, and was dedicated to providing the very best service for his clients.

Bob was well-loved by all who knew him. Sometimes described as “Pollyanna,” he was relentlessly positive, always setting goals and challenging those he knew to be the very best they can be. He believed in always doing the right thing, trying his hardest, and showing up for the people he cared about. He loved his family and friends, was dedicated to his church family at Lutheran Memorial, was grateful for his fellow Kiwanians, and loved helping grant wishes for the Make-A-Wish program. Some of his very best days were spent with family and friends on the beautiful Missouri River and in the fields of South Dakota, hunting pheasants.

His love of teaching extended well beyond the classroom. He taught a course so the mothers of his football players would understand what positions their sons played. He taught everyone he could how to waterski and jitterbug. He taught his beloved granddaughters Maya, Kenzie & Izzy that love shines through, even on the darkest days. But most of all, he taught us to appreciate each and every precious moment of this wild and crazy life. In his own words, “Life is short. Be the best person possible and leave something that will live on after you are gone.” His legacy of love and compassion is his gift to all who knew him.

Grateful to have shared his life are his wife Pat, daughter: Camela (Tyson) Theeler and granddaughter Maya of Sioux Falls, SD, son: Zach (Liza) Clark and granddaughters Kenzie and Izzy, of Pierre, SD, brother: Jim (Linda) Clark, Prescott, AZ, sister: MaryAnn (Al) Solmonson, Olympia, WA, and nieces: Kaia Halvorson-Luke, Sara Montgomery, Angie Burris, and Amy Clark, and nephew: Clark Halvorson. Bob was preceded in death by his parents: Bob and Nila Clark, in-laws: Jim and Donna Graff, brothers in law: Rick Halvorson and Ronald Graff, sister-in-law: Barb Clark, and precious friends Stan Mikkonen, Barb Newman, Susan Mollison, Jane Sizer, and Carrie Mikkonen.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be directed to the University of South Dakota – Coyote Football Program, the Pierre – Ft. Pierre Kiwanis Club, Make A Wish of South Dakota, or Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota.

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