Arthur H Clark III

Obituary

Arthur Harrison Clark, 73, passed away peacefully at home in Green Valley, Arizona, on November 18th, 2025 surrounded by his family.

Art was born to Arthur H. Clark II and Donna (Wright) Clark in Vincennes, Indiana, and moved to Wheaton, Illinois, when he was 6 years old. After graduating from Wheaton Central High School he attended the University of Arizona for one year before transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder, where he graduated with a degree in Math and Computer Science. He went on to receive his Master’s in Marketing at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. After college, he moved to Houston, Texas where he worked for Digital Equipment Corporation, and met his wife, Kathy. They were married 2 years later and his job with DEC took them to Henderson, Nevada and Boston, Massachusetts with Apollo Computer Co. They eventually settled in Monte Sereno, California where he worked for PCAD, EDA, Infoseek, eWalk Software Corp. and they raised their 4 beautiful children.

Always the ultimate competitor, playing on the football team in high school and the wrestling team in both high school and college, he went on to become the President of the rugby club, competed in more than 20 triathlons, ran the Boston Marathon, and culminating in completing the full Ironman Triathlon in Cape Cod.

Art was also a man of adventure and had a love for travel. With Kathy’s job with Delta Airlines, they were able to mix his love for athletics with traveling the world; riding their bikes through Greece, bike racing through Mexico, hiking in Peru and Brazil, and scuba diving in Australia, the British Islands and Hawaii.

First and foremost though, Art was a deeply involved father of his 4 children; Kelly, Kristopher, and twins Karilyn and Kyle. Coaching soccer and wrestling teams, teaching life skills, helping with homework, and inventing stories at bedtime with the kind of creativity that made their childhood feel slightly magical. With his no-quit attitude - a kind of discipline, toughness, and determination - he passed his work ethic directly on to them. It fueled athletic careers, shaped their own work ethics, and gave them the confidence to believe they could do anything they set their minds to. As adults, they recognize what a rare gift that was. His dedication extended beyond the immediate family as he welcomed his children’s friends into the mix, teasing them, roughhousing with them, and poking at them in the exact ways his kids now catch themselves doing with the next generation. He became a kind of bonus parent to many.

In addition to his love for his children, he loved his wife Kathy deeply. His kids saw it clearly in his later years - the way his face lit up when she walked into a room, the joy he felt simply being near her. Their marriage of 45 years was filled with travel and shared curiosity, becoming a quiet roadmap for how to love, how to explore, and how to keep choosing the adventure.

Art is remembered as a builder: of memories, of adventures, of confidence, of chaos, of laughter, and of the kind of family culture people look back on and realize was rare. He was happiest outside, exploring someplace new, or anywhere surrounded by his friends and family.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy (Gidel) Clark; his children, Kelly (38), Kristopher (35), and twins Karilyn (31) and Kyle (31); his sisters, Terri Burney and Debbie (Bob) Stevenson; Terri’s daughter, Brandy (Nick) Oostman, and her son, Daniel; Debbie’s children, Nicole (Matthew) Betts and Bryan (Miyah) Stevenson; Kathy’s mother Mary Gidel, her sister Joyce Gidel (Jay) and her daughter Lindsay Jones, her brother Rob Gidel and his children Ali (Jarrod) Lord, Rob (Jacqui) Gidel, Jill (Brian) Smith, and a wide circle of friends who will remember him for his humor, his imagination, his relentless determination, and the way he made life feel full. Art will be greatly missed.

Gallery

Memory wall

December 23, 2025

I had the good fortune to meet Art in 6th Grade at Lowell and then shared a friendship through High School at WCHS in Wheaton ILL. He was a scout and our teacher asked him to be my guide since I was the 'new kid' from Kansas!! From 6th grade through our high school years we maintained our connection and shared lots of great memories in sports and classes we shared. Art went off to AZU for his first year in college and I went to ISU in Illinois, however we ended up transferring then reconnecting at Colorado University in Boulder, where we rented a cool 2 BR apt for two semesters. While in Boulder we shared common interests with our dirt bikes in the trails of the foothills and skiing at Aspen or Vail, driving up in our Chevy Vegas like we were the only cars on South Broadway to US 6 & I-70. We were just a little bit 'wild and crazy'. Art transferred on to LSU and then Stanford. Then to my surprise he arrived in Cincinnati to attend my wedding there in Dec 1976 - what fun that was! We lost contact as our respective lives, work, moving around and raising kids gobbled up time.
Art clearly lived an accomplished and successful life with Kathy and their children. After reading the other memories posted Art was consistently was a great friend, coach, boss and mentor to many people he knew.
I remember him for his quick wit, intelligence and being as avid reader, always expanding his knowledge. On a small but meaningful side note; Arts Father picked me up when hitch hiking back to I.S.U. from Wheaton one day. Arts father was a character and extraordinary man, so its no wonder Art turned out so well. That said, Arts Mother was an equally wonderful person whom I remember fondly, too.
It is so sad the your amazing life was cut short by an awful disease. I lost a former work friend/mentor from the same illness just a couple years ago. Its just so tragic! However, I can safely assume that Art is laughing and smiling over all of his friends, family and co-workers. You did good Art - thanks for the good times and friendship in our formative years

Jon Fyhrie

December 17, 2025

Art was one of my closet friends. We spent a significant time together with our kids in Indian Princesses and Guides for 4 years. Then for the next 10 yrs we put annual Fathers Sons with Kris and my son Steven and Father Daughter trips with Kelly and my daughter Lindsay. These trips i/c many other Dads and sons/daughters. We went on a lot of white water rafting trips. One of my favorite white water rafting stories is Art challenging to wrestling all 6 of the 18 yr old boys 1 at a time. The rule was no grabbing clothes or they had to wrestle in the nude. Art made it through the 1st 2 boys but on the 3rd Mike Marshall was so fast and wiry that Art tore one of ribs lose from his sternum. We tried pushing it back in place and rubbing some dirt on it but that did not work. So Jeff Doty, Mike's dad, was a Stanford surgeon called all his friends at the hospital and came up with a brilliant solution - rolled up a towel and placed it on his chest then wrapped duct tape around him like a mummy so that the towel pushed the rib down and held it sort of in place. Then we put Art in front of one of the rafts and sent him down these class 4 rapids with a lot of pain killers.

Rich Walker

December 16, 2025

​It is with deep affection and great respect that I remember my host father and boss. I was very fortunate to have known you as a man who was a shining example in every one of his roles – as a husband, father, and member of the community.
​Your love for your children and your wife was ever-present and inspiring. You created a home characterized by warmth, laughter, and unconditional support. As a father, you were not only loving but also an incredible role model who raised
your children to be the wonderful people that they are today.
​What I will particularly remember
your unwavering positive attitude and your dedication. Your were always the one who brightened the mood with your good humo. At the same time, your commitment to youth and sports was remarkable.
You helped countless young people realize their potential – a dedication that extended far beyond your own family.
​I will always remember you as a good, dedicated, and always cheerful person, whose positive influence continues to live on in your family and your community. It was an honour to known YOU. THANK YOU ❤️ (The Nanny)

KAREN WERUM

December 16, 2025

Art was a member of the Houston Heathens Rugby Club in Houston in the late '70's. The Heathens won more tournaments and games when Art was a member than any team in the U.S. The Heathens were 80 members strong and would field 3 strong sides every weekend. A force to be reckoned with and Art was front and center.

Art was a fierce competitor on the field. And probably comes as no surprise after reading about his marathons and triathlons that Art was always in tip top shape. Art was class act and the best teammate ever. I speak for Heathen Nation to say we are proud to have known and played the game of rugby with Art Clark.

Lasting memory was that Art had the best smile and laugh of anyone on the team, a happy image to remember the boy.

It is with great privilege, pride and pleasure to share with Art's family and especially his kids the person we knew and loved.
.

Mike Cheyney

December 15, 2025

When Kathy and Art moved to our neighborhood in Green Valley they immediately became a special part of our gatherings every Friday afternoon. We all marveled at Art’s epic miles long walks and his great sense of humor. As his disease progressed and he lost mobility he never lost his grit and determination and was always a very special part of our group. His absence has left a big void here and we send loving thoughts to Kathy and their 4 very remarkable children, who we watched care so lovingly for their Dad in his final days…. an absolute legacy of love. So each Friday we will raise a toast to this dear man, always in our hearts…

mary millar

December 2, 2025

The best way I can remember Art is via a story of a shared vacation. Art, Kathy (no kids) and 2 other couples chartered a boat in the Caribbean. One of the activities we had a access to was knee boarding while being pulled by a zodiac. There goes Art whipping by the first time at a breakneck speed next to the boat. The zodiac turns around and comes back pulling Art in the other direction at a much slower speed. And there is Art smiling and waving to all of us and the crew sans his bating suit.

That was Art in a nutshell, decades (to quote Kathy) of "Oh Art"

We will all miss you

Dave and Deb Shlager

Dave Shlager

December 1, 2025

I first met Art when we worked at Infoseek together. He was responsible for business development and I for new tech concepts. We ended up traveling together quite a bit trying to land deals with other tech companies. We made quite a few trips up to Seattle to meet various people at Microsoft and ended up being a decent part of their browser search business. Art always had a way of making the trips fun and getting us to promise things that I had no idea how we would ever get them done, but somehow we got them done and he was right - almost always. I remember 1 trip where I was late to the flight. They had to open the plane door to let me on, Art started a nice standing ovation when I was walking the isle trying to find my seat. I was never late for a flight again! Art was always the guy playing practical jokes in the office, everyone enjoyed his wit and sense of humor as he was great at making a tense startup environment fun.
I learned several sales tactics during those trips: "Never argue with your comp plan" & "Feel Felt Found" were among the many words of advice he always gave.
After Infoseek I moved out of the bay area. I had an idea for another startup and wrote some code. The first person I thought of to help was Art. Of course he was all-in. We spent the next decade building ewalk virtual tours. It was definitely an adventure. Lots of work and lots of fun figuring out how to make things work. We spent many days taking pictures and going through all kinds of homes for sale. Art always kept us on the straight and narrow as far as product direction and business focus. He did the work to figure things out and not guess at decisions.
I will always admire Art for his work ethic and fun approach to getting things done. I miss him but will always remember our history together.

Bill Rose

November 29, 2025

A beautiful life well lived.
This is how we remember our dear friend, Art.
We have had the great pleasure of knowing Art, Kathy and family for several years while living in Green Valley, Arizona. Everyone loved Art's zest for life, infectious smile and great love for Kathy. How proud he was of his children and the people they have become!
Art's quiet determination to do the things he loved inspired us all. We are forever grateful for years of friendship and wonderful times together.
We miss you Art!
Our hearts go out to Kathy, Kelly, Kris,Kari and Kyle.
May you find comfort in your memories of an amazing husband, father and friend.
Love ❤️ Donna and Paul

Donna Campbell

November 26, 2025

I met Art and Kathy through work when we were about 30 years old. For the next 10 years we spent lots of time traveling, doing triathlons, and just enjoying being together. Art showed me how to really enjoy life! He and Kathy instilled in me a joy in being active that I still have today. Their impact on me and my life is important to how I live my life today and my memories. Art will be missed.

Michael Lack

November 26, 2025

I met Art through middle school wrestling where he coached his son Kyle, myself, and several of our mutual friends. Coach Clark was an excellent role model and mentor. He taught us skills on and off the mat, and embodied what it meant to be a champion throughout. He was a part of my favorite childhood memories and I can’t thank him enough for helping me become who I am today. He will be greatly missed and my love goes out to all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Eric Van Noorden

November 26, 2025

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Kathy and Art when they moved to AZ. What a happy and fun couple! I shared quite a few dinners with them and so admired their family connection. Although I never met their children they spoke of them often and I feel as if I know them. I so enjoyed being around Art and Kathy. What an example of love they showed. Always laughter when I was with them. My heart goes out to them as they navigate their loss. I hope their lives memories sustain them during this time. Thank you Kathy and Art for entering my life.

Dorie Grimes

November 26, 2025

Kathy, I can hardly imagine how incredibly deep your loss must be after all the years you spent together. You had such a wonderful and special marriage — and he was truly an great father. I always wished I had had a dad like Art.

I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with him while I lived with you. I will always remember Art as an incredibly warm-hearted and wonderfully humorous person.
Art speaking his funny German, his excitement about Nudelaufenlaufen, sleeping every weekend on the floor in the family room with the kids, me catching him late at night with the huge peanut-butter jar — and the next moment he was out on the patio railing demonstrating to me that ants don’t like peanut butter. Or when he came home from work and was once again annoyed that the Nanny had beaten his TETRIS high score. And in the mornings, when he stood in the kitchen in his always-good mood, with his big cup of coffee, dressed in his suit and holding his small travel bag — and the whole family wasn’t allowed to say anything except LUAMU. And if someone accidentally said anything else, he would simply start all over again with each person.

I am thinking of you and the kids so much during these difficult hours.
Falk and the children also want to express their condolences to you and the kids.

Karen

November 26, 2025

I have many fond memories of Art. As I scroll through them I picture him in bike clothes, in the pool with his children and sharing food with my sister Bobby and her husband Jim. I also remember Art “herding” the kids (or trying to!) into to car to get somewhere on time. But mostly, I remember his quick smile and his willingness to lend a helping hand to me and other neighbors. Rest in Peace Art.
Fawn

Fawn Alvarez

November 26, 2025

Our favorite memory of Art was seeing him run up and down the sidelines before Kris’ soccer games. He said it relieved the tension and anxiety. This was such a perfect representation to us, the kids and all the parents of a healthy way to deal with adversity. Casey loves his time in the Clark home and we always felt good about him going there. We will keep Art, and the entire Clark family in our hearts always.

Keith and Joni Holland

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