Clark Bradford Anderson, 69

Clark Bradford Anderson, 69, passed away on Dec. 5, 2023, at the Billings Clinic.

Clark was born prematurely on a cold Montana morning. He joined two siblings, Jeff and Valerie, and another sibling, Mark who arrived a year later, finishing the quartet. Their parents worked in an apple orchard in Fromberg, and his father Andy sold life insurance over a three-state area. He was able to work in the Midwest and Northwest because he owned his own plane, a small coupe. When Clark was one, the family moved to South Dakota to join the Danish clan living there. Clark loved the family trips in the small plane back to Montana to visit aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Not all the trips went smoothly. A blizzard struck on one journey across South Dakota, and his dad had to be talked down as there were no instruments in the cockpit to help him. Travel in the summer was easier, though there was always the need for a coffee can used to catch air sickness episodes. The thermals over South Dakota are abundant and powerful. When we finally arrived, we would buzz relatives' homes, resulting in large welcoming committees meeting us at the tiny airport. It was fun to see from the air.

Clark’s love of Montana grew from those family reunion experiences. Flash forward to his childhood, and he graduated from a small high school in Parker, South Dakota. He needed direction in his life and found it by enlisting in the Navy at the height of the Vietnam War. He was assigned to the USS Enterprise, an aircraft carrier, along with 3,000 other sailors. He traveled the world, working as a cook until he earned the designation of chef. It served him well his entire life, leading to a variety of food service opportunities. He was on board the Enterprise when the war ended, and he took part in evacuation efforts of our troops from that conflict.

Clark was then honorably discharged from the Navy and began his career as a chef and baker, and eventually as a conductor on the BNSF Railway, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. It was always his dream to live in Montana, and that’s where life took him. During a difficult medical issue, he moved in with his favorite sister Valerie, her husband Dave, and their three children (Summer, Amber, Clint) in Whitefish. Besides all his culinary skills, Clark was also very creative. He made and decorated cakes, including one for his niece’s wedding. After the wedding he told Valerie that it was the first time in his life he felt a part of a real family. Clark was always a sweet, intelligent, artistic, and sincere man.

In 2010 Clark had a motorcycle accident, spending the rest of his days in a loving nursing home in Lewistown. Now he is free to join his family in heaven. I’m sure they are fishing.

Clark is survived by his brother, Jeff; sister, Valerie Peters (Dave); and several nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Andy and Joyce; and his younger brother, Mark.

Clark will be buried with full military honors at 1 p.m. on May 10, at the Montana Veterans Home Cemetery. 

Friends are encouraged to visit the website www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolences for the family. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory caring for the family.