Arvle Carrington “Pete” Clark III was born in Charleston, West Virginia on September 10, 1949 to A.C. Clark Jr. and Jeanne (Morris) Clark. They moved their family to Wagoner, Oklahoma when Pete was 11 years old.
His first friend in their new home was Mike Marrs and this would be a lifelong friendship. Another friend, Larry Gobble, and Pete would roller skate to school every day. He graduated from Wagoner High School in 1967.
Pete was very busy while in high school. He showed pigs and one of them won Grand Champion at the state level. He also wrestled. He loved Friday night football games and was even the bulldog mascot. He would say that he became the mascot so that he could ride the bus with the cheerleaders. Also, during high school Pete worked at Rocky Mitchell’s Texaco where he met the love of his life, Patricia McConnell from Muskogee. They both knew it was a love that would last, and it did. They were married on October 5, 1968, and had 54 beautiful years together.
Pete was drafted in April of 1969, and he decided with his friend, Gilbert Smith, to stand up and be in the Marines. He would say this is because if he was going to be at war, he wanted a Marine to be by his side. Pete served honorably and reached the rank of Corporal as an AmTrac Mechanic. He was awarded many medals and ribbons, including the Purple Heart.
When Pete returned from the service, he joined Pat in Wagoner. They were blessed with three daughters, nine grandchildren, and four great grandchildren with one more one the way. Pete loved his family and was a great husband, father, and grandfather. He was always available and present for his children and grandchildren. He taught them all many different things, especially his grandchildren. He would give the kids a bucket of nails, hammers, and scrap wood. The only rule was whatever they made, they had to tear down as well.
Pete held several different jobs. He was a boat mechanic and worked in the paper industry. Also, he was a contractor and would build retail stores all over the United States. This allowed Pat and him to travel all over the United States, everywhere from New York to Florida to California. They would be on the road for six weeks at a time and got to see and experience so many wonderful places, including Broadway shows and Yellowstone National Park. Pete’s main occupation was that of a self-employed carpenter.
He used his carpentry skills to not only earn a living but to help when needed. He loved to help anyone do repairs that may be needed, sometimes getting paid in cookies or cakes. Pete’s heart for helping people will always be remembered by his family.
Pete was very involved in his community. When he was younger, he was a member of the Jaycees. Later in life he was in the Parrot Head Club and loved to ride in the parades. One of the biggest beliefs that he had was everyone should vote. He would always have a sign in his yard to remind people to do so. Pete was a member of First Christian Church and had served as a deacon and property chairman. The church was another place where his capacity for helping others showed through.
Pete also had hobbies that allowed him to travel. One being sailing. He bought a sailboat and sailed it from New York to Jacksonville, Florida then around Florida to Steinhatchee. He even taught some of the family to sail. Another was Harley Motorcycles. Whatever Pete was doing, he loved to talk to people and tell stories that usually had a punchline at the end.
Pete departed this life on Monday, April 3, 2023, at his home surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his parents, A.C. and Jeanne Clark; brothers-in-law, Rick Gray, Ronnie Gilliam, Jack Witten, Carl McConnell Jr., and Larry Gobble; and sister-in-law, Linda Witten.
Those left to cherish his memory and carry on his legacy are his wife, Patricia A. (McConnell) Clark of the home; daughters, Jenipher Whittiker and husband, Jeremy, of Muskogee, Gaylynn Arbuckle and husband, Chad, of Blanchard, and Amy Fox and fiancé, Jon Kerr, of Muskogee; grandchildren, Austin Whittiker and wife, Haley, of Muskogee, Zach Whittiker and Ivy Spieker of Muskogee, Kristen Whittiker of Muskogee, Jonathon Arbuckle of Blanchard, Justin Arbuckle and wife, Paula, of Blanchard, Kailey Truman and husband, Lucas, of Blanchard, Jared Smith and Summer Hatfield of Yukon, Jacob Smith of Blanchard, and Gary Fox of Muskogee; great grandchildren, Garrett Whittiker, Leo and Sawyer Arbuckle, Lorelai Smith and baby Truman on the way; sisters, Ginger Gray of Muskogee and Peggy Gilliam of Ft. Gibson; brother and sister by heart, Johnny and Kim Witten of Wagoner; several nieces and nephews; other family and many friends.
A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, April 7, 2023 at 10 a.m. at First Christian Church in Wagoner with interment to follow at Ft. Gibson National Cemetery at 12:30 p.m.
Viewing will be held on Thursday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Mallett Funeral Home and Crematory with a Visitation to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. with the family present to greet friends.
