Jim Clark, 78, of Boise passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, January
4 after a courageous and graceful battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jim was born in Wendell, Idaho to Ray and Marie Clark. The family lived
throughout the Pacific Northwest and ultimately settled in Boise where Jim
graduated from Boise High School and Boise Junior College. Jim was passionately
patriotic and served in the United States Navy, retiring after 21 years of
combined active duty and reserve service.
Jim’s professional career spanned decades of hard work, beginning as a young
boy setting pins in a bowling alley, selling newspapers on street corners,
stocking women’s lingerie in a department store, became the first employee at
Tastee (Fanci) Freez on State Street in Boise, and was a bank teller at Idaho
First National Bank. All the work
experience Jim acquired in his youth prepared him well for his 31 year career
at IBM where he began working in the mailroom and retired as Business Operations
Manager of the Boise office. Jim never
truly retired after leaving IBM, but went on to work in non-profit and other
small businesses, including the Idaho Foodbank.
Most recently, Jim worked at Brasher’s Idaho Auto Auction until shortly
before his death.
Although Jim clearly had a tremendous work ethic he also loved spending time
outside and working with his hands. Jim was an avid fisherman, handyman and
wood worker and made many items ranging from a wooden tray, a canoe, several
grandfather clocks, cedar chests, multitudes of pens, bowls and other items.
Jim's true passion, however, was his family. Family was the most important
thing to Jim. His wife, children and
grandchildren were his pride and joy and he would have moved heaven and earth
for any one of them. Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Betty Jo; son,
Chris (Kathy); daughters, Connie and Kim (Steve), grandsons and granddaughter,
Justin, Nolan, Karmen, Josh and Adam, brother, Loren, sister, Helen (Al), and
many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Jim was preceded in death by his daughter, Carrie Jo and his parents, Ray
and Marie Clark.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made
in his name to the Idaho Foodbank or to a charity of your choice.
Graveside services will be held on Friday, January 10 at 10:00 am at the
Veteran’s Cemetery; reception to follow from 11am-1pm at Honalee Farm Event
Center (7010 Moon Valley Rd., Eagle, Idaho).
A memorial webpage for Jim has been created for those wishing to share
thoughts, stories, or pictures (
jimmy-don-clark.forevermissed.com
)