Clark, Stephen Michael, 66, of Jamaica Plain, died suddenly on August 2, 2015 at home. Beloved son of Patricia (Greene) Clark of Jamaica Plain and the late Frank Clark. Devoted brother of Patricia Yellope and her husband Joe of Bellingham. Frank W. Clark Jr., and his wife Bobbie of TX., Ann E. Birle and her husband Hans of Westwood, Martha Sutherland and her husband Rae of ME., Paul Clark and his wife Clare of West Roxbury, Robert Clark and his wife Jennifer of Scituate, and the late David and Eric Clark. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Born on April 18, 1949 in Boston, Massachusetts, Stephen was the eldest of nine children born to Patricia Greene Clark and Frank Clark. Stephen lived in Boston until age 20, when he enlisted in the US Navy, training and then serving as an Air Crew Survival Equipment Man. He served four years in the Navy.
Stephen always had an adventurous spirit; his early interests included sky diving, mountain climbing and scuba diving. In 1976 his quest for exploration took him to Scotland where he lived in the Findhorn community, an experiment in conscious living. While at Findhorn, Stephen worked in the visual arts department, served on the community’s board of directors and was a publishing advisor to Findhorn Press.
Upon returning to the US, Stephen established a home base in California, where he had previously served in the Navy. He was a Principal at Curtis, Clark & Rigan, providing consulting services to small independent publishers and authors. He studied Cultural Anthropology, earning both BA and MA degrees at UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego respectively. For his graduate thesis, Stephen lived among and studied the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific.
In 1993, Stephen returned home to Boston to an ever-growing brood of nieces and nephews, with whom he shared tales of his life experiences and vast knowledge of many subject areas. In 2001, Stephen was able to tap into his creative side when he accepted a position at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. At MassArt, he served as a Project Manager in Professional and Continuing Education, where he coordinated partner relationships with Cooperating Institutions, was instrumental in supporting and managing activities for the Design Industry Group of Massachusetts (DIGMA), as well as special programs such as Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Studio Pre-semester and more.
In his personal time, Stephen took pleasure in a variety of interests, most notably birding, mushrooms, photography and fly fishing. His memberships in the Sierra Club, Massachusetts Audubon Society and Trout Unlimited reflected his exploratory nature. Stephen enjoyed a good cigar and kept a fully-stocked humidor within easy reach of his favorite seat. He found true contentment basking in the affection of Vashka, his Russian Blue feline friend.
Funeral from the P.E. Murray - F.J. Higgins, George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home 2000 Centre St., WEST ROXBURY Saturday at 9am. Funeral Mass in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Jamaica Plain at 10am. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Visiting hours Friday from 4-7pm. Interment private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to: Friends of Boston’s Homeless, 12 Wise Street, Boston, MA 02130.