Published in the July 28, 2017 edition.
DANVERS — William J. “Bill” Clark Jr., M.D., 96, formerly of Lynnfield and Scituate, died peacefully on July 22 at home in Danvers.
He was the son of the late William J. Sr. and Julia (Graham) Clark and brother to the late Rev. Graham S. Clark. He was born in White Plains, NY, on June 3, 1921 and raised in Scarsdale, NY.
Bill graduated with honors from St. Michael’s College, Vermont, Class of 1943, and University of Vermont Medical School in 1947.
He served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Japan as the lead dermatologist with the occupying Allied forces. Among notable patients was former Prime Minister Tojo, who was being treated while awaiting trial for war crimes.
After discharge, Dr. Clark completed his residency Carney Hospital in Boston, where he met and married the love of his life, “Betty” Furrier. They eventually settled on the North Shore of Boston, where Dr. Clark established his internal medicine and cardiology practice, working for over 30 years at the Malden and Melrose-Wakefield Hospitals, making house calls and serving for a time as chief of staff.
Bill retired in 1985 to pursue his passion for golf, sailing, bridge and travel, spending summers in Scituate and winters in Naples, FL. He was a long-time member of Hatherly Golf and Satuit Boat Clubs of Scituate where he was known for his dry wit and congenial personality. He particularly enjoyed puttering around the house with various renovation projects, a never-ending endeavor when living by the ocean. Never one to seek the spotlight, Bill would typically shy away from social functions. Bill once won a major golf tournament at Hatherly and when he couldn’t be located for the presentation ceremony, the award committee had to be dispatched to his home to bring him back.
Bill is survived by his wife, Elizabeth A. (Furrier) Clark. He was the loving father of Sheila Iacopino and her husband Vito, William J. Clark III and his wife Anita, Stephen Clark and his wife Karin, Peter Clark, Eileen Kenney and her husband Jeff, Kate Clark, Maura Gomes and her husband Wilson, Elizabeth Paulding, Julianne Regan and her husband Chris. He is also survived by his 15 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Wednesday, August 2, between the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held Thursday, August 3, at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Assumption Church, corner of Grove and Salem streets, Lynnfield. Interment, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lynn.
