Obituary of William Patrick Clark, Jr.

A gathering to remember Bill Clark will be held on January 20, 2019 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Barn at The Willow School, 1150 Pottersville Road, Gladstone, NJ 07934.

William Patrick Clark, Jr. died at home Thursday evening with his family by his side.  He was 84. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Bill’s early years were spent in Maine and Florida.  Following graduation from Yale University in 1956, he served in the United States Marine Corps, which became a central influence throughout his life. He was an investment banker, but also ran an ice cream company and an aviation company before forming his own corporation, which he headed until his death.

Bill’s lifelong love for horses began at age three when he rode in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade with his grandfather. Whether fox hunting in Ireland, playing polo in Chile and Argentina, or riding the range in Texas, his passion never wavered. Polo, in particular, was his obsession for 65 years, as was the study of horsemanship.  Until October, he was still in the saddle.

Bill lived on his horse farm in Tewksbury Township for 53 years, serving his community for eleven years as a member of the North Hunterdon Regional School Board.  He was a voracious reader of history and a grand storyteller.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Janet Burns Clark; his son, William Patrick Clark, III of Kauai, Hawaii; his five daughters and their spouses (Erin and James McBurney of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Megan and Robert Bruckner of Seattle, Washington; Tara and Stephen Pratt of Burlingame, California; Caitlin and Christian Donohue of Pacific Palisades, California; and Bronwyn and Ian King of Hyattsville, Maryland); fourteen grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations in his name to The Semper Fi Fund https://semperfifund.org/