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Parish Council
In memoriam: Don Clark 1936 - 2006
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Don Clark was Parish Clerk to Chappel Parish Council. He died in September after a short illness and is remembered by many in Chappel. His wife Marion pays tribute to him:
My beloved husband, Don, was born in London, the second son of Bill and Ethel Clark and lived with them and his little sister in Ilford. He was evacuated to North Norfolk for over three years during the Second World War, which had a profound effect upon him, as he loved the county way of life and the open skies.
He did not feel happy in town, so at eleven years old went to boarding school in Surrey. In his final year at school he was made Head Boy and secretary of the school Young Farmers Club. He dearly wanted to be a farmer, but his father had other ideas and he was apprenticed as an electrician at Beckton Gas Works. At the end of his five years apprenticeship he joined the Merchant Navy as an Engineering Officer, rising to Chief Electrical Engineer and travelling all around the world. He served in the Navy for five years, during which time we are married.
On his return home, he continued his studies as well as coping with work, the allotment and garden and fathering three boys. For eighteen years we lived in a village in Essex called Fobbing. They were happy years, and during his time Don coached boys' football teams. He became Head of Engineering at TCS, where he continued to work until he retired.
We moved to Chappel almost 28 years ago, where he always felt completely at home. After retiring from TCS, Don felt he wanted to become more involved in the community. He became Parish Clerk for a number of years, as well as secretary of the veterans section at Braintree Golf Club, where he played three times a week right up until his last illness. He also enjoyed his allotment and the chats with everyone he met on his way to and fro.
He suffered from Menieres Disease from the 1970s, but most people knew nothing of this.
He was a quiet, unassuming man, full of kindness and common sense. He so enjoyed his life, as this comment shows. After repairing a friend's dishwasher, he was told his reward would be in Heaven, to which he replied: "I'm in Heaven now." I am sure he is.
He is very dearly loved and so sadly missed.
Marion Clark
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