Jack Wilson Clarke II <33

A tribute to an incredible man..

He was a man among men, a man who stood above the rest. He was a loving, caring, brilliant, and funny man. He always knew what to say to make any situation better, and he knew what to say to get a little girl to eat her green beans. He was a husband, a father, a brother, and an uncle. But perhaps what is most important to me, he was a grandpa. He was my grandpa. I will always remember him as a very witty and loving person who told the most interesting stories. I will also remember those moments when I heard grandma yell "Jack!" to grandpa, who was asleep and snoring on the couch. (there were a lot of these moments.. ) I'll always remember the letter he wrote me just before I went off to college. He told me to stay away from people lathered in oil and to never forget "liquor before beer.." He ended this letter by telling me that he was proud of me and the young woman I was growing up to be.

Here's the thing you didn't know, grandpa.. I am far more proud of you than you ever could be of me. You were a great husband, and a great father and grandfather. You were a rock for all of us. You demonstrated great strength all the way to the end. You faced more challenges in a short amount of time than most men face in a lifetime, and yet you would always smile and say "Hi Dani, how are you sweetie?" every time you saw me. Your body was weak at the end, but you were still unbelievably strong. For that, you are my hero. I only hope to be as great a person as you were. Even though we all miss you terribly, we know that you are staring down at us probably smiling in your subtle way. We all know that you're better this way. You're healthy and happy now. We accept that and are happy for it. But you will always be missed. You will always be on our minds and in our hearts. We love you grandpa. I love you. please hear this and know that.

Love always,
Dani and Your Family