Forest Clark

Forest Wayne Clark, 98, of Decatur died Wednesday at Decatur Memorial Hospital. Services will be at Moundford Free Methodist Church on Saturday, August 16, 2014 at 10:00AM, with visitation from 5 to 7 pm Friday, August 15, at Brintlinger & Earl Funeral Home. Burial will be at Graceland-Fairlawn Cemetery, Decatur. Memorials: Moundford Free Methodist Church or American Cancer Society. Forest was born November 9, 1915 on a farm near Bethany, in Moultrie County. He was the fifth of eleven children to William S. and Dessie Mayfield Clark. He graduated from Bethany High School in 1934 and from Coyne Electrical School in the Spring of 1936. Immediately after leaving Coyne, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He went through recruit training and sea school at San Diego then, for the next two years, he was assigned to the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Lexington. In 1937, he participated in the search for Amelia Earhardt in the South Pacific. Corporal Clark was discharged in May, 1940 but entered the Reserves and was recalled to active duty in December. In the Spring of 1941, he attended Field Telephone School at San Diego, was then deployed to Iceland with the Sixth Marine Regiment. In February 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he returned to California, where he was promoted to staff sergeant and assigned duty as communications chief of the Ninth Marine Regiment. A few months later, he was transferred to the 22nd Regiment and shipped out to British Samoa aboard the S.S. Lurline. While in Samoa, he attended Officers Candidate School after which he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and assigned duty as Communication Officer of the First Battalion 22nd Regiment. In the Fall of 1943, the Regiment left the Samoas for the island of Maui, Hawaii where amphibious landings and field training were conducted. February 1944 found the Regiment assaulting the Marshall Islands. Two major landings were made by the 22nd, after which they retired to bivouac at Guadalcanal. In May, they were aboard troop ships again, headed for Saipan, Tinian, and Guam; landing on Guam in July, 1944. They returned to Guadalcanal in September and started preparations for yet another operation. First Lieutenant Clark received orders to attend Communication Officers School at Quantico, Virginia and returned state-side in October. On 27 January, 1945, while attending CommOSchool, Lieutenant Clark married Trela Eileen Syfert in Fredericksburg, Virginia. After COS and Signal Quartermaster School in Philadelphia, Lt. Clark was transferred to Camp Pendleton, California. He was released from active duty in December 1945 and returned to Decatur. Wayne worked at the Army Signal Depot in Decatur, as an electrician until March 1952 when he returned to the Marine Corps for two years as Communication Officer of the Third Marine Regiment. After nine months duty in Japan, Major Clark was released from active duty in March, 1954 and returned to his job at the Decatur Signal Depot where he worked until it closed in 1961. That same year he accepted a position as Station Engineer with the Air Force 782nd Radar Squadron at Rockville, Indiana where he worked until the station closure in 1968. Forest maintained relations with the Marine Corps through the Volunteer Reserve and Marksmanship programs and participated in many rifle and pistol matches during the period 1955 to 1968. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1958, made distinguished marksman with the rifle in 1964, and established individual and team shooting records in 1966. He was retired in 1975 on his 60th birthday, after 39 ½ years affiliation with the Marine Corps. After moving back to Decatur in 1968, he opened the Baskin Robbins Store in Brettwood Village. From 1969 to 1980 he did electrical work for the N&W and maintenance supervision for McGraw Edison in Warrensburg and later for the York Division of Borg-Warner in Decatur. He retired in 1980 and spent his time jogging, gardening, pitching horseshoes, hunting , fishing and caring for and playing with grandkids; truly a life well-lived. Surviving are son, Gregory Clark (Brenda) of Camby, Indiana, son-in-law, George Leaming (Diane) of Beulaville, North Carolina. Grandchildren, Chad Leaming( Caroline), Ashley and Zachary Clark; great grandson, Forest Leaming, sisters Ruth Craig of Sullivan; Ardith Capshaw, of Decatur. He was preceded in death by his wife, daughter, Cheryl Leaming, Grandson, Brett Leaming, 5 brothers and 3 sisters. "
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