Randy Clark

The afternoon of the 18^th of August, my father, 71, left to be with my mother in heaven. After a ten-day battle, he passed away in Murray, UT with a twelve-hour vigil surrounded by loved ones.

He was born to Ronald Wayne Clark & Edda Ann Daniels on July 11^th, 1953, in Tooele, UT. At age 5, he suffered a debilitating fall from a pony – his path forever altered. He attended Tooele High School as a teenager. From there he had many jobs, including becoming a carpenter’s apprentice and working for the Tooele Army Depot.

He began working at Salt Lake Community College as a custodian in 1987, where he eventually retired from in late 2015. On July 1^st, 1993, he married the love of his life, my mother, Elizabeth ‘Buffy’ Syndergaard in Tucson, AZ. She moved up to West Valley City, UT to be with him, and on August 18, 1994, they had me. He became widowed on April 11^th, 2008, and moved into his home in March of 2015.

As a young boy, he played with his family & the neighbor kids. His favorite game was Cowboys & Indians, and it fueled his hankering for old western movies. Although he did not drive, he worked on cars with his “Crew of Boys”. He was also a member of ‘The Boy Scouts of America’ and could outwalk the best of them!

He loved people, animals, the outdoors, riding horses, picnics, & sleeping out under the stars. I remember watching the stars out on the trampoline at my grandmother’s house with him. He also enjoyed Saturday cartoons as a kid, and his favorite holidays were Christmas, Halloween, and April Fools.

My father loved getting out and moving. He covered indefinite miles on his three-wheeled bike, using it to get to & from work, go grocery shopping, run errands & go on numerous adventures. He was incredibly athletic, and absolutely loved to dance, even joining a belly dancing class at the college. I still remember dancing with him everywhere when I was little. He also loved watching Basketball (go Jazz!), the Minnesota Vikings, and Sci-Fi. 

My dad was also very fond of his suntan, going out and bathing in the sun every warm day he could manage. He was also a big foodie, and his metabolism treated him well in that aspect. His favorites were oatmeal with honey, bananas, mashed potatoes, blueberries, hotcakes, and apple pie. He ate an entire apple pie in an hour on his 71^st birthday, in fact. And his drink of choice was, as my mother put it, ‘coffee until it’s running out of his ears’.

More than anything, though, my father was strong-willed. He had the odds stacked against him from the moment he was bucked off a pony. He had a head injury that put him into a thirteen-month coma, and the doctors said he would likely never walk or talk again. When he woke up, he proved them all wrong. His story was posted everywhere in the Tooele papers.

From there my dad’s accidents snowballed. He fell off a canoe and could not swim, was trapped beneath a snowmobile for over an hour, he was run over by a car and had his ankle crushed. In my lifetime alone, he fell off his bike many times riding to and from work and was prone to falling. He had a limp, his head was permanently turned to the side & had a metal plate, his hands didn’t always work as he wanted them to, his teeth were pulled at a young age to stop his fainting spells, he had a hard time eating without choking, and people had a hard time understanding his speech.

Although trapped in a broken body, his sharp mind & strong will made it possible for him to achieve amazing things. He always strived to be as independent as possible in everything he did. Even with all his challenges, my dad held down a full-time job for over 25 years, and many jobs before that. He got married, had a family, and bought his home with his own two hands. Behind all his physical trials, my dad was witty, funny, stubborn, and strong. He always had a joke or funny comment to offer, even in times of hardship. 

He was loved and admired by all who knew him. He overcame hardship and dealt with whatever life handed him. He tried absolutely everything he could at least once in life, living every day he could to the fullest. My dad credits his mom, dad, Grammy & Grump for teaching him the importance of perseverance and hard work. He will be forever missed, and always an inspiration.

My father will be joined in heaven by my mother, Buffy, my grandparents Edda Ann & Ronald Wayne, his Grammy & Grumpy that he loved dearly, and his eldest brother DeLynn. He is survived by his four brothers; Brett, Ronald Kemp, Larry, & Greg, his four sisters; Clara, Cleo, Susan, & Linda, and his daughter, Kathryn Eileen Taylor.

A public viewing will be held Tuesday, September 3^rd at 2 p.m. The service will be held at the LDS church house located at 1457 Atherton Dr. in Taylorsville, UT. Followed by a potluck luncheon for family members. Online viewing details TBD.

Special thanks to Clara Fletcher for helping write the obituary.

Yellow flowers or a written memory with my dad are appreciated. If you would like to donate to help with funeral & medical expenses, please visit our GoFundMe using the “Donate” button above. 

Thank you to everyone that has loved & cherished my dad over the years.