Jeri O. Clark
September 19, 2017Share using:
Long-time Granville resident, dog lover, tennis player, story teller, inventor and poet Jeri O. Clark, 87, passed away September 19, 2017, at the Selma Markowitz Care Center in Newark.
Jeri was born in 1930 in Long Beach, CA to the late Oliver D. and Gladys Finlayson Clark, and was a U.S. Air Force veteran who served during the Korean War. In recent years, he was a member of the Granville Tennis Club, where he remained an active player until just days before his passing. His love of dogs was instrumental in the founding of the dog park in Granville, where he spent some of his happiest hours in the company of his Vizsla, Leo.
Jeri’s career began in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, where he built some of the world’s first fiberglass boats. His expertise in this new industry led to a position as an applications engineer at the Owens Corning Tech Center where he served for 25 years, earning several patents. After retiring to take on a passion project – building his dream house with his wife, Helen – Jeri founded the Product Design Center in Westerville. Known as “Yoda” in the industry for crafting elegant solutions to complex problems, he was consulted on a broad range of projects.
He will be dearly missed by his wife of 65 years, Helen (Repine) Clark; son, Stu (Laurie) Clark of Deerfield Beach, Florida; daughter, Shelley (Andy Leddy) of Washington, DC; grandchildren, Christofer, Alexandra, and Zachary Clark; and sister, Crystal Sims of California.
A gathering of family and friends in celebration of a life well lived was held at the home. Jeri loved Granville and most mornings would find him enjoying his town, sharing stories with his friends at the Village Coffee Shop. For that reason, contributions in Jeri’s memory may be made to the Granville Community Foundation, P.O. Box 321, Granville, OH 43023.
Arrangements are in the care of McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home in Granville. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com
