Lee W. Clark, 55
Lee W. Clark, 55, the fire management officer for the Lewis and Clark National Forest, died of natural causes at his home in Great Falls on Sunday.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Great Falls. A reception will follow the service.
Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Lee W. Clark was born in Bozeman, on Feb. 20, 1951, the younger son of Helen B. and the late Ralph W. Clark. Lee's early childhood was spent in Chile and Costa Rica where his father was an agricultural economist with the U.S. Department of State. The family returned to the United States and purchased a cattle and mink ranch in Manhattan, when Lee was 10. He graduated from Manhattan High School in 1970.
On June 26, 1970, Lee married his high school sweeheart, Teresa "Terry" Robinson. They moved to Missoula to attend the University of Montana. During these years, his summers were spent as a seasonal Forest Service employee. He worked fire lines on the Jefferson, Deer Lodge, Kootenai, Flathead and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts. In 1976, Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry.
Lee received his permanent appointment with the Forest Service on the Tally Lake Ranger District in 1978. In 1983, Lee moved his family to the Powell Ranger District, on the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho. While at Powell, Lee held several different positions, including the district silviculturist and then district fire management officer. In 1998, Lee was promoted to the fire management officer for the Lewis and Clark National Forest and moved to Great Falls.
Lee's greatest love was his family, his wife and best friend of 36 years; his son, a Marine Gulf War veteran; and his daughter, who followed in the family footsteps for several seasons as a fourth generation wildland firefighter. "Papa was also very proud of his grandchildren, Caitlin, Caeden and Madison."
Lee's love of nature and the outdoors drew him to his lifelong career in the Forest Service of more than 30 years. Lee was a hard-working forester with a heart of gold who always had a smile and a supportive hand for all those who were in need of it.
He found nothing more relaxing than enjoying a good book or golfing with family and friends. Lee enjoyed traveling, and a recent highlight was a family vacation to Australia and New Zealand. His love of getting his hands dirty gardening and maintaining the yard was evident by the ever-present tree in a pot waiting for Lee to find it a permanent home. He loved getting out of the office and into the middle of the action, whether it was helping with prescribed burns or getting sent out on fire assignments.
Lee died unexpectedly. His loss is felt greatly by his family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Terry, of Great Falls; son, Craig, his spouse, Alex, and grandson, Caeden, of Lolo; daughter, Michelle, her spouse, Brian Pfile, and grandaughter, Madison, of Las Vegas; mother, Tommie Clark, of Bigfork; brother, Jack Clark, of Billings; mother-in-law, Darlene Robinson, of Manhattan; sister-in- law, Deanne Robinson, of Belgrade; brother-in-law, Rod Robinson, of Minneapolis; and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts and an uncle.
His father, Ralph W. Clark, and his father-in-law, Donald Robinson, preceded Lee in death.
His family thanks you all for your thoughts, prayers, and support during this trying time.
The family will be accepting donations for a scholarship fund, in loving memory of Lee, at the University of Montana, School of Forestry.
Condolences can be sent to croxfords@qwest.net.