Obituary of Ralph Nathaniel Clark

Ralph Nathaniel Clark, Jr., 93, from the Ivoryton section of Essex, Connecticut died February 13, 2014 at Middlesex Hospital's Hospice after a brief illness. He was the beloved husband of the late Stella Elizabeth (Wineski) Clark. Ralph was born September 7, 1920 in Essex and was a lifetime resident of Ivoryton. He was the son of Ralph Nathaniel Clark, Sr. and Doris Snow (Miller) Clark, both also of Ivoryton. He is predeceased by his sister Jane Elizabeth (Clark) Stannard and his brother Elbert Miller Clark, also residents of Ivoryton. He leaves two nephews, Charles and John Stannard of Ivoryton, a niece Christine Schumacher and her husband Donald of Ivoryton, and a nephew Ronald E. Clark and his wife Virginia of Haddam. He also leaves several great nieces and great nephews. Ralph also leaves a sister-in-law, Catherine Wind of Ivoryton. Ralph attended Pratt High School in Essex where he graduated in 1938. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and served mostly with the 6834th Rearmament Regiment in Algeria, France, and Germany before receiving his honorable discharge in 1946 after 26 months in the European Theater. While in the service Ralph earned a Good Conduct Medal, the Victory Medal, the American Theater Campaign Ribbon, and the European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon. Ralph was employed for many years as a Quality Assurance Engineer at the Cramer Division of the Conrac Corporation in Old Saybrook. While working at Cramer's, he attended New Haven College, now the University of New Haven, earning first an Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1962 and then his B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1967. After retirement, he spent most winters in Englewood, Florida. He was an avid golfer and after playing in several industrial leagues he continued to golf well into his eighties. He was a longtime member of the Essex Veterans Memorial Hall, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Essex and the Knights of Columbus. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street in Centerbrook from 10:00AM until the time of a Prayer Service at 11:00AM. Burial with the rendering of Full Military Honors will follow in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Clinton.