Leon ‘Bud’ Clark, 94
Leon Dale Clark passed away on Aug. 11, 2022.
Leon was born Oct 1, 1927, on the farm of LD and Merle Clark in Lodgepole, South Dakota.
Leon’s older sister (Carol) couldn’t say “brother,” so she called him Bud, which followed him through his life. At 1 year old Leon contracted spinal meningitis which affected his motor skills for the rest of his life.
In 1935 Bud’s family moved to Kalispell. At that time he had two more sisters (Phyllis and Rita), and his last sister (Karen) in 1945. He was the thorn amongst the roses.
Bud graduated from Flathead County High School in 1945, at which time he enlisted in the Army. He was honorably discharged in 1947 from Fort Monroe, Virginia. He was very proud to be one of the few World War II vets left in the valley.
Through his life he had many different jobs; lumber mills, logging, farmer/rancher, railroad, highway department, delivery truck driver in LA, and school bus owner and operator. He went to work in Glacier National Park in 1957 and retired as trails maintenance foreman in 1990. After retirement he worked for Arctic Circle in Kalispell from 1993 to 2006.
He felt blessed for his years spent in Glacier Park and the backcountry, and the friends he made over the years. He was tough as nails, but it was said he could be as stubborn as some of the mules he rode in Glacier National Park. But he was respected by most every one who crossed paths with him.
In 1961 Bud married his sweety, Patricia Dragonfly, in San Diego. They had three children, Lori, Lorne and LaVonne.
Uncle Bud and Aunt Pat enjoyed years of family time. They spoke fondly of the time spent with their many nieces and nephews at the farm and in Glacier Park.
Bud was preceded in death by his loving wife, Pat, in December 2021. He was also preceded in death by his parents, LD and Merle Clark, infant son Larry David, sisters Carol Hodgson and Phyllis Claridge, and son-in-law Wayne Riddle.
He is survived by his sisters, Karen (Bill) Obermayer and Rita (Herb) White; sister-in-law, Margaret (Maurice) Burns; brother-in-law, Paul Fossler; children, LaVonne (Kevin) Basson, Lori (Charles) DeRosier, and Lorne (Denise) Clark; grandchildren, Jarrod (Cherylynn) Kinsey, Kristina (Wayne) Bieber, Michael Riddle, Logan Clark, James DeRosier, Jenna (Tanner) Dana, and Lauren Clark; and seven great-grandchildren, JoHanna, Cheyenne, Ayana, Acaydia, Kingston, Jaxon and Braelynn.
Bud loved and cherished his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and the time they got to spend together.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or any other Parkinson’s disease research foundation, in honor of his late wife, Pat.
There will be a viewing for family and friends at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home on Friday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. The funeral and burial service will be held at the Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home on Monday Aug. 22, at 11 a.m., with burial services at Glacier Gardens to follow. A luncheon will follow at Lavonne and Kevin’s house to follow.