Robert E. Clark (1928 - 2013)

Born 7 Sep 1928 in Simerly Creek, Carter, Tennessee

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Deloris (Marchello) Masters — married 23 Sep 1949 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, United States

Died 13 Feb 2013 at age 84 in Centerville, Appanoose, Iowa, United States

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Biography

Robert Clark has Scottish Ancestors.

Robert Clark has English ancestors.

Robert Clark was born on September 7, 1928, ^{[1] [2] [3]} in a rural location along the Simerly Creek Road near the crest of Woodby Hill. His home was in Carter County, Tennessee, just a stones throw from the county line with Unicoi County. If you followed the old dirt road that ran by their house for a couple of miles into Unicoi County you would get to Limestone Cove. Following the road the other direction for about three miles into Carter County would lead to Tiger Valley. Robert died on February 13, 2013. ^{[3] [2]}

The story of Robert Clark and his family comes from the book "The Clark and Tolley Families of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina and Related Families" published in 1994. The story follows with the author's (Robert Bradley Clark) permission.

Robert Clark is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army 1946-1948
In Austria during Allied occupation of Europe after World War II.

"Robert had the unusual distinction of having served in the Army and Navy. He was too young to be in W.W.II so after high school when he first enlisted in the Army his assignment was to join the occupation force in Europe following the defeat of Nazi Germany. Robert was first sent to Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia ^{[4] [5]} to get his gear in March 1946 then he went to Camp Lee, Virginia ^[6] for basic training. Next he went to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey ^[7] where he boarded a troop ship bound for Bremerhaven, Germany. This was a port on the North Sea about 75 miles west of Hamburg. The troop ship set out for Germany in January so the trip was cold and rough as they crossed the North Atlantic and the North Sea.

When first on the ship Robert and many of the other young soldiers where very sea sick. Bunks were stacked one on top of the other and were very close. Robert was assigned to a bunk about 3-4 decks below topside. Hundreds of men were living on each deck and accommodations were crude. The toilet was a 20 foot long wooden trough with pairs of wooden boards crossing every few feet to form the seats to this giant toilet. The flusher was a periodic blast of sea water which ran down the trough cleaning out the smelly accumulations. Those who were sea sick would go to the wooden toilet to toss their cookies. On occasion, Robert would be feeling very ill and would go lean over the edge of the trough ready to empty his stomach one more time. At the same time, the sea would toss the ship about and it would rock back and forth. So, when he was leaning over the trough and the flusher turned on he would get splashed in the face with stuff that would make you even more ill!

The ship had stairs which went up through the decks. The steps were made of metal grating. As soldiers got sick going up the stairs they might toss their cookies and this would drip down through the steps onto those below. After about three days at sea Robert decided to go up and get some fresh air... maybe he could get over the awful sea sickness. His stomach was very unsettled so it took him all morning to work his way near the galley. He had not eaten in three days. As he slowly worked his way closer, a few steps at a time, he would pause to let things settle down. But, when he got near the galley the odor of the food was too much! He couldn't handle it and had to get out of there.

When the troop ship arrived at Bremerhaven the soldiers unloaded and moved to a nearby airport hangar for their sleeping quarters. This was extremely cold - northern Germany during winter in large, drafty airport hangars with no heat! They had simple bunks and would shave and bathe with cold water... in the dark! This was a great deterrent to the soldiers taking a shower! After a few days at this staging point, troops would leave on a train bound for their duty station. Robert was bound for Austria. On the way the train brought them to Marburg an der Lahn. Here there was an impressive SS mountain fortress which had large swastikas carved into the stone entrance and a heavy gate. This may have been the famed "Eagles Nest". [Further research shows this was not the Eagles Nest.] The allied shelling during the war had damaged the swastikas and the entrance. He stayed here for almost a week in some barracks on top of the mountain.

After the layover in Marburg, Robert continued by train to Vienna, Austria. Austria was similar to Germany in that the Russians occupied much of the country but Vienna was a divided city. There were five zones in the city: French, Russian, British, American and the International zone. The International zone was where the Austrian governmental buildings were located. Robert's first assignment was to manage the three-story Studion Hotel. It had about 30-40 rooms and was for soldiers in the grades Warrant Officer through Captain. He later also managed the five-story Westminister Hotel. It was a women's hotel with around 150 rooms. This hotel was only a few hundred feet from the Russian zone.

At the hotel, Robert was about 2-3 miles from his company headquarters and he would get there by catching a street car which ran along the Danube cannel. The cannel divided the American and Russian zones. Russian soldiers would also ride the street car to get about town. American soldiers did not carry weapons. However, the Russians were typically armed to the teeth. They carried rifle, a machine gun and a pistil. During this time there was great tension between the US. and the Soviets. In Vienna, American soldiers would disappear never to be seen again.

On one occasion Robert was riding the street car to the main Bonnhoeff (railroad station) so he could get to company headquarters. He had boarded a car full of rowdy Russian soldiers. They pushed him about and were making various boasts and threats in Russian. On another occasion when he boarded a car it was full of drunken Russian sailors. They also pushed him about and at one point had a straight razor to his throat. Fortunately they arrived at a station where the sailors were to transfer so he was spared. So much for peace time duty!

Robert Clark is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Navy
aboard USS Gearing (DD710).

Robert Clark was awarded the Navy Good Conduct Medal.

Robert was discharged from the Army in March 1948 at Camp Kilmer [, New Jersey]. He returned home to Tennessee and joined the Navy in August 1948. Because of his army experience, he did not attend the Navy basic training. He did go to Great Lakes Naval Training Center ^[8] near Chicago in order to learn two essential skills in the navy: fire fighting and swimming. There they would set ablaze large metal structures which resembled parts of a ship and send the swabbies in to put out the fire. They had to be able to fight electrical fires, petroleum fires and standard fires which burn wood, etc. Later, Robert was assigned to Olatha Naval Air Station ^[9] in Kansas just outside Kansas City.

While in Kansas City Robert met Mary Deloris Marchello. Robert eventually was at Olatha a total of 4-5 years. He was a cook. He married Deloris in Kansas City on September 23, 1949. ^[10] Deloris was born July 15, 1931, in the small town of Brazil, Iowa. Her parents were Giacinto Marchello and Madellena Goffo. Mary Deloris generally went by the name Deloris. She had moved to Kansas City in the fall of 1948 after graduation from Centerville High School (in Centerville, Iowa). She went down with Josephine Balagna. Jo was her niece yet Jo was older than her Aunt Deloris. They were more like cousins. Mary Deloris and Jo lived with Billie (sister of Deloris) and Johnny Mitchell. Deloris had a job at the fashionable, downtown Jones department store. She also helped to open the Jones store in the Plaza.

Their first son, Robert Bradley, came on October 27, 1950. He was born at Bethany Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas, and the doctor who did the delivery later moved to Mayo Clinic. During the pregnancy, Deloris encountered eyesight difficulties - vision would come and go. So, when she was pregnant a second time she went to Iowa where she could be around family at all times. Bruce was born at St. Joseph Hospital in Centerville on May 8, 1952. Deloris then returned to Kansas City and the growing family moved to Olathe, Kansas.

In 1953 the Robert and Deloris Clark family moved to live near Hampton, Tennessee. Deloris lived in a house down the hill from Jesse and Gladys Clark. Across the road were the parents of husband Robert - Arthur and Nola Clark. The house Deloris lived in had a coal range for cooking. She stayed here while Robert was at sea. While in Tennessee, she became good friends with Virgie Clark (wife of Newton "Bud" Clark) and many others.

Robert served as a cook on the destroyer USS Gearing (DD-710). His cruises took him to the Mediterranean Sea where he visited sites in Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Monaco, Crete, Portugal... During a stop in Italy, he visited the Marchello family which remained in the Old Country. In September 1954 Robert severely injured his back. He was in a Naval hospital from September 1954 until July 1955. During his stay in the hospital, they put silver plates in his back. His back was never the same and he was discharged from the Navy. For many years he would go to veterans hospitals to have his back checked and treated.

In July 1955 Robert and Deloris Clark moved to the Centerville, Iowa area. The Clark family lived on the Marchello farm next door to Grandma and Grandpa, Giacinto and Maddelena Marchello. In addition, a Great Aunt and Uncle, Margherita and Nick Goffo, lived in a small house just west of the Clarks in a three-house settlement situated about five miles west of Centerville. The Clarks lived in the two-story house that the Marchellos had purchased during the Depression.

The new Clark home had been vacated for some time. Moving into the new home (almost 100 years old at the time!) triggered a decade of modernization... transforming the pioneer home where Gillie Felkner was born (in 1867) into a home typical of the 1960s. Over the century the house had several additions which changed the looks on the outside. However, the insides of the house were from an earlier time. An old "pot-belly" stove was situated in the kitchen/dining room. It heated the room and also had a top made for heating pans. The old stove was removed and a gas furnace was installed. There was no indoor plumbing so water had to be carried in from a nearby well. In the kitchen, a water bucket with a dipper was where you got a refreshing drink. Running water was soon routed into the house. Later an old cast iron bathtub was installed and the house was truly entering the modern era. Years later, a complete bathroom was built.

Over a period of several years, the inside walls were all rebuilt. The lathe and concrete walls were torn out and drywall or wooden walls were built. Dirty, dusty work!! The back porch had a door that led down into the basement (a small room with rock walls). This back porch was transformed into a room with a washer and dryer and enclosed stairs to the basement. The living room had a stone fireplace added and the front porch which faced Highway 2 was closed in with large windows. As these rooms were rebuilt carpeting was also added. Running water, gas furnaces, carpeting, bathtubs... the home of the 1800s now had a new look!

1958 was a notable year for the family. March 19th a third son - Bryon Keith - joined the home. Later that summer, Arthur Clark was having serious health problems so the Iowa Clarks hurried to Tennessee to see him. He recovered to some extent so Robert, Deloris, and family returned to Iowa. Again, his health deteriorated and the 950-mile trip was made from Iowa to Tennessee. By the time they arrived, Arthur was gone and the funeral plans were underway. Usually, the trips to Tennessee were happy occasions, but, not this time.

During the 1950s and early 1960s life was simple... and very busy. While the house was gradually being rebuilt there was farm work to do. Robert farmed the 80-acre Marchello place and would do other contract work. For a time, he worked a 40-acre farm that had been owned by Jim and Beverly Redford. Deloris started a job at Spurgeon's department store in Centerville. Large gardens were planted and hundreds of quarts of vegetables were canned each year. Trips to the grocery store were for things you could not grow. Most meat, fruits, and vegetables came directly from the land.

The 1950s was a time which had a look of the "old" and the "new". A small B Farmall tractor was used to dig potatoes - but it pulled a hand-held one-bottom plow (the type pulled by horses). The tractor was red with a single wheel in the front. It was started with a crank. Some of the other machinery used during the 1950s was converted from the "horse era". The family used an old green wagon which had metal wheels along with wooden sides and a wooden floor. With a little imagination, one could see a farmer up on the seat of the old wagon calling out to a team of horses. The mowing machines and hay rakes were also converted horse equipment. In the machine shed were many reminders of the horses.

When the 160-acre farm north of the highway was purchased it was very heavily wooded in places. In addition to farming the land, new land was to be cleared. This was hard work. Many large trees were dying out and limbs falling. The woods on the place were past its prime and becoming a tangled mess. The trees and limbs were cut up with the chainsaw and hauled into large piles. The tractors were used to move the large, heavy pieces. When the trees and brush were piled high the mound was set on fire. While the brush and wood were burning food would be put under the fire to cook a meal as we worked. Meat, potatoes, and carrots, the taste so good when cooked out in the open. The tree stumps that remained were then blown up. Holes would be dug under the stump and a few sticks of dynamite were then put in place. A long fuse was lit. Then we would take cover around behind farm wagons positioned away from the stump. Next a wait ..... then a loud explosion! Dirt and wood shot up high into the air like a missile! The fine pleasures of clearing land.

While Robert was doing farm work he also started with the Post Office as a part-time worker. He delivered mail and eventually became Post Master of the Centerville office. He worked there for several years until he retired. Robert and Deloris had three boys: Robert Bradley, Bruce Allen, and Bryon Keith Clark. Their marriage ended in the early 80s and he married Sherry Blomgren in 1985." ^[11]

Italian and American Cousins Visit (August 1973)

In August 1973, two American couples went to Italy to visit Italian cousins. Mary Deloris Marchello Clark and husband Robert Clark traveled with her first cousin (through their Goffo mothers) Margaret Nobile Wheeler and her husband Thomas Wheeler. The two wives were of Italian descent and knew the memories between the Italian and American branches of their families were fading. Mary Deloris and her mother Maddalena Maria (Goffo) Marchello had written letters to some of the Marchello relatives for many years so the two couples set out for Italy to connect with family that had been apart for 70 years.

The visit went beautifully. The Italian hosts were gracious, fed them lots of pasta, and showed them all the old sites. One remarkable time came when several were venturing around the edge of the Italian Alps in the Piedmont region of Italy. The cousins gathered at an ancient stone bridge known as the Ponte del Diavolo or the "Devil's Bridge." It was built in 1378, over the river Stura, which connected the town of Lanzo with Turin. According to legend, every attempt to build a bridge failed so the people of the area did what people did during those times - they entered into a deal with the devil. The devil would allow the construction of the bridge in exchange for the soul of the first one to cross the bridge. The bridge was successfully constructed and the town prospered. ^[12]

Ponte del Diavolo (The Devil's Bridge), Lanzo Torinse, Italy

People in photo (left to right): Pieto Rollero (Italian), Thomas Wheeler (American), Margaret (Nobile) Wheeler (American), Mary Deloris (Marchello) Clark (American), Margherita (Bima) Rollero (Italian) and small son Fabrizio Rollero (Italian), Giovanna (Marchello) Capelli (Italian), and Eliseo Rollero (Italian). Photographer (unseen): Robert Clark (American).

The Devil's Bridge stands to this day and is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in all of Italy. ^[13] The old stone bridge is remembered as a place where a family member, Margherita Casassa, played during the early 1900s. Memories have faded so there are no stories to share... but, it is likely that many other family members were at this beautiful bridge over the centuries.

The obituary for Robert Clark follows:

"Robert Clark, age 84 of Centerville, Iowa passed away Friday, February 15, 2013, at Centerville Nursing and Rehab in Centerville. ^[3]

USS Gearing (DD-710)

He was born September 7, 1928, in Hampton, Tennessee ^[3] to Arthur and Nola (Tolley) Clark. After graduating from high school in the spring of 1946, Robert enlisted in the United States Army. During his two-year span with the Army, Robert was stationed in Vienna, Austria where he ran a hotel for both officers and dependents in transit. He later enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Olathe, Kansas, and out of Norfolk Naval Base when onboard the USS Gearing (DD-710). Robert was a cook and ran the NCO Club at the naval airbase in Olathe. He was in charge of a galley with the USS Gearing DD710 as a part of the Mediterranean fleet. Robert was medically discharged from the Navy in 1955. He served his country honorably for nearly a decade.

Robert married Mary "Delores" Marchello on September 23, 1949, ^[10] and to this union, three children were born. He later married Sherry Blomgren on December 31, 1985 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Centerville.

Following his military career, Robert moved to Centerville in 1955. It was during this time period that he began working part-time with the postal service. His career eventually became full-time during the late 1950s. Robert was appointed as the acting Centerville postmaster in 1968. He served the Centerville Community faithfully until his retirement from the post office in December of 1989.

Robert was very active in numerous groups during his lifetime. He was an active member of the Jaycees. When he had returned from the Service in 1955, Robert and other farmers used their equipment to clean up and expand the Lelah Bradley Park in Centerville. He was both a member and a director of the Appanoose County Fair Board for several years. Robert was proud to be a member of NAPUS (National Association of Postmasters of United States); he served as the president of NAPUS in Iowa and held all other state offices. He was also a member of Mystic American Legion Post #340. Robert was proud to be a Shriner. During his time with the Shriners, he helped introduce the Shriner's cars in the Pancake Day Parade in the early 1970s. Most importantly, Robert was a devout Christian. He was an active member of the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene in Moravia, Iowa.

He enjoyed numerous hobbies and passions. Robert loved traveling, including several trips to Alaska. During his time in Alaska, he often enjoyed the Fiddle Festival in Fairbanks, as well as the Yukon Quest Dog Race. He also made many trips to Tennessee to visit both family and friends. He loved catering for people and was well known for striking up friendships wherever he went. Robert was also known for being an author in which he wrote numerous books on his family history..." ^{[14] [15] [2]}

Sources

1. ↑ U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Author Ancestry.com. Note Social Security Administration. iSocial Security Death Index, Master File/i. Social Security Administration. Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc. Publisher date 2014. Publisher location Provo, UT, USA. Record contains the following information. Name Robert Clark. Birth Date 7 Sep 1928. Issue year Before 1951. Issue State Tennessee. Death Date15 Feb 2013.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105320806/robert-n-clark: accessed 12 October 2021), memorial page for Robert N. Clark (7 Sep 1928–15 Feb 2013), Find A Grave: Memorial #105320806, citing Felkner Cemetery, Appanoose County, Iowa, USA; Maintained by Donald Bitner (contributor 47187466).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current. Publication Date: 17/ Feb/ 2013; Publication Place: Johnson City, Tennessee, USA; Name Robert Clark. Gender Male. Death Age 84. Birth Date 7 Sep 1928. Birth Place Hampton, Tennessee. Death Date 15 Feb 2013. Death Place Centerville [, Iowa]. Burial Date 19 Feb 2013. Father Arthur Clark. Mother Nola Clark. Siblings Arvil Clark; Byrl Clark; Mildred Delena Clark.
4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Fort Oglethorpe (Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Oglethorpe_(Fort_Oglethorpe,_Georgia)&oldid=1065612296 (accessed October 11, 2022).
5. ↑ Ron Crawley, "History," Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia http://www.schistory.net/fortoglethorpe/History.htm
6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Fort Lee (Virginia)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Lee_(Virginia)&oldid=1114861939 (accessed October 11, 2022).
7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Camp Kilmer," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Camp_Kilmer&oldid=1106337940 (accessed October 11, 2022).
8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Recruit_Training_Command,_Great_Lakes,_Illinois&oldid=1115491851 (accessed October 12, 2022).
9. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Naval Air Station Olathe," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naval_Air_Station_Olathe&oldid=1109747842 (accessed October 12, 2022).
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Web: Jackson County, Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1826-2014. Name Mary Deloris Marchello. Registration Date 15 Sep 1949. Marriage Date 23 Sep 1949. Marriage Place Jackson, Missouri, USA. Spouse Robert E Clark. License Number 1949B0027202.
11. ↑ The Clark and Tolley Families of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina and Related Families. Pages 18-21.
12. ↑ "Lanzo Torinese, Italy Devil's Bridge, Local name: Ponte del Diavolo", tropter, https://tropter.com/en/italy/lanzo-torinese/devils-bridge (accessed August 19, 2022).
13. ↑ Comitato Ponte del Diavolo Lanzo, https://www.pontedeldiavolo.org/ https://www.pontedeldiavolo.org/parco-ponte-del-diavolo-lanzo/storia-ponte-del-diavolo-lanzo-piemonte (accessed August 20, 2022).
14. ↑ "Albia Newspapers", an online newspaper for Albia, Iowa; February 20, 2013. https://www.albianews.com/obituaries/article_28d8d3d0-7b7d-11e2-939b-0019bb2963f4.html
15. ↑ * "Robert Clark Obituary (1928-2013)." Monroe County News, February 19, 2013, p 4. Monroe County, Iowa.

See also:

• "US Census, 1930", database online. Census Place: District 3, Carter, Tennessee; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0003; FHL microfilm: 2341970.

• 1940 United States Federal Census. Year: 1940; Census Place: Carter, Tennessee; Roll: m-t0627-03878; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 10-5.

• "U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947". The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; Draft Registration Cards for Tennessee, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 54.

• Missouri, Jackson County Marriage Records, 1840-1985. Ancestry.com. Missouri, U.S., Jackson County Marriage Records, 1840-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Marriage Records. Jackson County Clerk, Kansas City, Missouri. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8700/images/69dd62745e2aca46b60d4b78b9e5cda3?pId=900190792