Raymond Clark

Raymond J. Clark died on November 4, 2021 at FutureCare Chesapeake in Arnold, Md.  Born on
28 December 1934, he was the son of the late Leon and Thelma (Miller) Clark, of Lonaconing, MD.

Mr. Clark was raised in Lonaconing and graduated from Central High School, where he met his future wife, Shirley, whom he married in 1954.  The couple made their home in Frederick, MD.  Upon his graduation from high school, he immediately went to work for what was then the Maryland State Roads Commission and later became the Maryland State Highway Administration.  He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 5 years and won awards for marksmanship.  Mr. Clark was active in the Monocacy Village Civic Association, serving as President in 1970.  He was a deacon in the Frederick Presbyterian Church in Frederick, and later, in Smithville United Methodist Church in Dunkirk, MD.  He was a member of the Maryland Classified Employees Association and served on the Board of Directors for 10 years in the 70s and 80s.  Mr. Clark spent 31 years as an employee of the Maryland State Highway Administration, rising through the ranks.  In the last third of his career, he spent 5 years as Resident Maintenance Engineer for Frederick County and another 5 years as Assistant District Engineer for District 5, which covered Calvert, St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, and Charles Counties.  He attained the last position in 1978, relocating the family to southern Maryland.  He retired from the State Highway in June 1983.

He and his wife returned to Frederick County in 1989.  They spent much time getting reacquainted with the charming lifestyle of Frederick.  For more than 20 years, Mr. Clark and his wife enjoyed spending the cold winter months of February and March in Sarasota, Florida.  Following his wife’s death at the end of 2013, Mr. Clark again visited Sarasota and relocated there in 2015. He split his time between Sarasota and his daughter’s home in Pasadena, MD. Mr. Clark was an avid fan of air shows and particularly enjoyed seeing the Navy’s Blue Angels in action. He attended shows in several states and most recently watched the flight team practice in Annapolis, MD, for the Naval Academy’s May 2021 graduation ceremony.

Mr. Clark married his second wife, Patti, in 2017, and together they enjoyed the warmth and sunshine of Florida, first in Sarasota, and then moving to Venice in 2018. Through his wife, he was introduced to many new cultural activities, such as music, theater, dance, concerts, arts and crafts, and painting.  Until the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Clark was office manager for a tour and publishing company he and his wife started, and which was recently featured on WEDU-PBS.

The tour company took over 1500 women resale shopping by motorcoach bus.  Before we got on the road, he would grab the microphone and say, “I feel like a rooster in a hen-house”.  The ladies all laughed and it set the tone for a fun day of shopping. When the all-day tour ended, women would comment that he is one of the kindest, nicest and a funny guy to have on the bus.  Patti would comment, “Well, they named a show after him, "Everybody Loves Raymond”.  Patti, his wife of six years, knows just how true that is.

Mr. Clark is survived by his second wife, Patti, of Venice, FL, his daughter, Karen Clark-Stepp (Bryon), of Pasadena, MD, and two stepsons, Carl and Pat Hirsch of Kansas City, MO.  He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Shirley; an infant son; his brother, Leon; and his sister, Thelma.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Hospice of the Chesapeake or the National Kidney Foundation.  Interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery and Mausoleum will be private.  Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.staufferfuneralhome.com.