Thomas Ambrister "Buster" Clark of Pauls Valley, OK, died on September 9, 2024. His death was unexpected but peaceful. Born on January 19,1945, in Oklahoma City, OK, he was the only child of Carene Ambrister Clark and Tom Reed Clark of Pauls Valley. With the exception of four years of college and one year of additional education, he lived his entire life in Pauls Valley.
After graduation from Pauls Valley High School, he attended the University of Oklahoma, joined the Sigma Nu Fraternity, received a Bachelor's in Business and met his future wife, Rebecca Heritage. They were married in 1966, spent a year at Purdue University, where he received an MBA, and returned to Pauls Valley where he began his career working for his family-owned Home Security Life Insurance Co. He ran the company for thirty years. After the sale of the insurance company, he became involved in the real estate business which he continued until his death.
Tom wore many titles: beloved son, husband, father, friend and coach. He was a devout Catholic, devoted family man and spent his free time involved in coaching baseball, little league football, boy scouts, and volunteering as homeroom parent and frequent other activities for each of his four children. He served as president of the local blood bank, member of Rotary, member and president of the school board, board member and president of the first Pauls Valley General Hospital, president and board member of the Donahoo-Colley Elderly Housing Complex, board member and president of the Bosa community swimming pool and community center, and fundraiser for the construction of a local animal shelter. He and his wife were also active in raising funds to build eight tennis courts at beloved Wacker Park. He was present at each of their children's sport events, often transporting them and their friends to football games, baseball games, wrestling matches, cheerleading events, tennis matches, and all other school events, whenever school buses were not available. When asked by his children to participate in various activities, he always said yes. Nothing in his life was more important than raising their four children and investing every moment possible to their family.
Tom loved his animals. When he and his wife, who everyone knew as Timmie, began devoting their free time volunteering at the local animal shelter, he would insist that she never bring dogs home. That request was quickly disregarded. When each additional dog was introduced into their home, they would invariably end up on his favorite chair or couch and their doghouse was his home office. He believed that his way of honoring the memory of his dogs was to rescue another one and spoil them as he had the others before them. His family quoted him as saying; "he never met a dog he didn't like."
He was preceded in death by his mother and father; Carene and Tom Clark, his maternal grandparents; Roy and Carrie Martin Ambrister, his paternal grandparents; Gertrude and Audley Clark, his aunt Francille Clark, his Aunt Mary McQueen and many beloved dogs. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Heritage Clark, his children: Thomas Matthew Clark of Santa Fe, NM and partner Danielle Means and Ex-wife and mother of their children, Perlita Cunanan of Santa Fe, NM, their children Thomas and Isa; Benjamin Ambrister Clark, Pauls Valley, OK, his Ex-wife Lara Anne Shupack and their son Oliver Clark of Austin,TX; Caroline Clark- Murphy of St. Joseph, MO, husband Scott and son Elliott Murphy; Anna Clark Gibson, husband Michael and children Sophia, Zoey and Clark Gibson. He is also survived by his aunt, Sabina Ambrister Beckman, Muskogee, OK. and her four children, their wives, children and grandchildren, the children of Mary McQueen, as well as a close cousin, Bob Landsaw and his wife Ruthie.
A Memorial Service will be scheduled at a future date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Pauls Valley Animal Shelter, 300 East Airport Industrial Rd., Pauls Valley, OK 73075