Thomas Clark

Thomas James Clark passed away on March 4, 2021. He was preceded in death by Gloria Patricia Distefano, his wife of 38 years and mother of his three sons, and by Judy his second wife of 8 years. He was also preceded in death by his parents William J. Clark of Boston, Massachusetts and Rosalie Marie Boussicaud of Cruguel, France as well as his older brother Joseph and sister Mary Ann. Tom is survived by his three sons: Tim (Maryann), Mike (Christine) and Tom (Amy), his granddaughter Kathryn, his younger brother George, many nieces and nephews, and dozens of close friends. He was born on March 5, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan. Tom attended Jesuit schools, completing Sts. Peter and Paul grade school in 1943 and graduating from Annunciation High School in 1947. He worked various jobs during the summer, including on a Great Lakes ore carrier in the summer of 1945. He enrolled in night classes at the University of Detroit in 1954 and with hard work and dedication earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1964. Tom worked as a welder at Murray Corporation of America from 1949-1951 prior to enlisting in the armed services. He served in the US Army from May 1951 - May 1953, training as a radio operator at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas and for radio maintenance at Fort Sill, Oklahoma prior to deploying for Korea aboard the USNS Joe P. Martinez. He spent one year of his service time overseas in the Korean War. After being honorably discharged from the army, he went back to work as a civilian. His career started in the building industry at Ceco Steel before taking a position as a Plan Examiner for the City of Dearborn Building and Safety Division. Following his graduation from U of D, he took a position as a structural engineer at O’Dell, Hewlett and Luckenbach in Birmingham. A year later he moved to the consulting firm McWilliam and Keckonen as a structural engineer. During this time, his project work included the Maynard Street carport in Ann Arbor. His career in the telecommunications field began as a project engineer in the Building Engineers group at Michigan Bell in the early 1970s and he stuck with that industry for the balance of his career. In the latter part of the 1980s Tom completed the structural design of the largest concrete building of his career at the University of Michigan hospital complex. He retired in 2009 at age 80. Tom earned his license as a Professional Engineer in 1972 and was very active in the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) for the remainder of his career. In 1988 he was awarded the Outstanding Engineer in Construction by the MSPE. In 1997 he received the President’s Citation Award from the MSPE. Tom became a Fellow in the MSPE in 2004, an honor he considered to be the highlight of his career. He had a lasting appreciation for the engineering involved in bridge construction. Shortly after the Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957, Tom put his mother Rosalie, his wife Gloria and infant son Tim into the car and drove up to see it in person. He was complimentary of the Zilwaukee Bridge reconstruction in spite of all the media criticism. He marveled at the engineering of the I-94 overpass at Telegraph Road and even on the day before he died was praising the new bridge construction concepts at I-75 and 14 Mile and Big Beaver Roads. After retirement, Tom stayed very busy with projects around his house as well as helping many friends with their handyman needs. He kept his mind sharp through daily interaction with technology, particularly utilizing Excel as an analytical and tracking tool for his own purposes as well as for many of his friends. These activities likely were a major contributor to him being able to live on his own, independent and self-sufficient until the last month of his life. His Catholic faith was extremely important to him. Tom served as an altar boy in his youth and as an usher throughout his adult life. While he was always a hard worker, he also enjoyed socializing and having fun. His trademark whistling, whether at work or play, let you know he was in the room or nearby. A good meal, a glass or two (or more) of wine, and a limerick or two shared with friends was a favorite way to spend an evening. Tom enjoyed attending musicals at the Fisher Theatre, with Les Miserables being one of his most favorite shows. His favorite mode of travel was aboard a cruise ship. Among his trips included Alaska in 1994, the Caribbean a couple of times with his brother Joe and then again in 2015 with Tim, Maryann and Kathryn. In 2014 he traveled for the first time to Europe, cruising the Mediterranean with his brother George and sister-in-law Paulette and his good friend Josephine. A memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 11:00 am at Christ Our Light Catholic Church, 3077 Glouchester Road, Troy, MI 48084. We are compiling a comprehensive digital photo album documenting Tom's life and would love for any family and friends to add photos they may have of him. The album can be accessed for you to view and to upload any photos you may like to share at: In lieu of flowers, a donation to one of Tom’s favorite charitable causes (for example the Capuchin Soup Kitchen www.cskdetroit.org or the Cancer Research Institute www.cancerresearch.org) would be preferred.

Thomas Clark

March 5, 1929 - March 4, 2021