Cloyd Clark

Cloyd Clark

May 23, 1942 - Feb. 28, 2021

McCOOK, Neb. — Cloyd Clark, 78, of McCook, died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at Kearney Regional Hospital.

Viewing will be Monday, March 8, 2021, at Herrmann-Jones Mortuary. Family will be present from 4-6 p.m.

A private service will be Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 10:30 a.m., at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church. The Rev. Dr. Charles A. Peek will officiate, assisted by Pastor Lisa Mensinger. Internment will follow at McCook Memorial Park Cemetery. Military Honors will performed by the Nebraska National Guard Honor Detail.

A celebration to honor the life of Judge Clark will be scheduled at a later date.

Cloyd was born on May 23, 1942, at Elwood, Neb., the first of three sons born to Cloyd E. Clark Sr. and Lucile (Hanson) Clark. He graduated from Elwood High School in 1959, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Journalism in 1963. During that time, he was the recipient of a National Hearst Writing Award.

From 1963-66, he served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Dominican Republic. After his honorable discharge, he worked for the Hastings Tribune until deciding to attend the UNL College of Law where he earned his J.D. in 1970.

He returned to Elwood to join his father’s law firm until he moved to McCook in 1971, where he practiced law with Sally Cunningham and was city attorney. In November 1972, he was elected 14th Judicial District County Judge and served 34 years until he retired in 2007.

On Dec. 19, 1975, Cloyd was united in marriage to Linda Haller at First Christian Church in Boulder, Colo.,, in front of a huge window view of the mountains. To this union one son, Paul Hanson Clark, was born on Feb. 19, 1985. When Linda’s sister passed away in 2016, Cloyd and Linda opened their home to nephew, Landon Towne.

Throughout his career, Cloyd participated in many professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, Nebraska State Bar Association, County Bar Association, and National Council of Special Court Judges.

Cloyd was baptized on Palm Sunday, April 18, 1943, at the First Methodist church in Elwood. He was a member of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in McCook from 1975 until his death and faithfully served in many capacities, including Brotherhood of St. Andrew, St. Alban’s Vestry and Senior Warden.

A believer in the value of community and a visionary for the future, Cloyd worked tirelessly on civic projects. He served as president of the McCook Rotary Club and District Governor, President of the Nebraska Historical Society and member of the Nebraska Historical Society Foundation and Norris Institute. He was a board member of the High Plains Historical Society, member of the McCook Tree Board and Elwood American Legion Post 290, and trustee of the Deere Creek Norwegian Church. He was instrumental in creating the Heritage Square walking tour.

Cloyd was a founding member of the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival, where he savored community stories, delighted audiences with his own and was recipient of the Master Storyteller Award. He will be remembered for his Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre roles in Paint Your Wagon, Music Man, Annie Get Your Gun and especially as Teddy Roosevelt in Arsenic and Old Lace (twice).

Travel and adventure were important to Cloyd and Linda. Some special trips include Ireland with Cloyd’s mother and Ireland again for a musical tour with John Smith, Russia and China with People to People, Cuba with Humanities Nebraska; family trips to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and another to Washington D.C., France, and England; an Alaska cruise with Rotary; and cruises on the Mediterranean, through the Panama Canal, to Australia and New Zealand, the Rhine River and the British Isles.

Early in his judgeship, Cloyd received an unusual present at an office gift exchange. Amidst the dog-eared pages of a worn cookbook, Cloyd found a recipe for sourdough bread. For the rest of his life, Cloyd made six loaves every week. While most were enjoyed by his family, as an integral component of the delicious meals he regularly prepared, he also made a point of giving loaves to friends, sometimes for a special occasion, sometimes just because. His lifelong passion for making bread and sharing it with others was a daily reminder of his creative nature, his generous spirit, and the love he felt for his community.

Cloyd was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Kendall H. Clark, who was killed in Vietnam.

Survivors include his wife, Linda, McCook; son, Paul, Lincoln; brother, Carlton (Cheryl) Clark, Elwood; nephew, Landon Towne, Milford; and an extended network of family and friends from all around the world.

Friends may leave online condolences at herrmannfh.com. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked memorials may be left in Cloyd’s name. Memorials will be designated to organizations that were special to Cloyd’s charitable works. Herrmann-Jones Funeral Chapel entrusted with arrangements.