Popcorn with Papa

This is a post from my blog. I posted it in February 2008, but it is a fun memory of my Dad so I thought I'd share it.

Popcorn with Papa

A couple months ago my Dad brought home some popcorn to pop with Halle, it's the jiffy pop that you pop on the stove top. The other day Marc and I were deciding what we wanted to do and I said I just want to watch a movie and eat some popcorn and as soon as I said it Halle said "pocorn, Papa! pocorn Papa!" So I was at target today and saw jiffy pop and decided to get it since Halle loved to pop it with Papa. When I got home I showed it to Halle and told her we would go up to Papa's to pop it. She was so excited! When we got to my parents she came inside yelling "Papa way you (where you)?" He was upstairs napping so we had to go wake him up because she could hardly wait one more second. They started popping it on the stove and Papa would shake it and then turn to handle to Halle to let her shake it, then Halle would shake it and turn it to Papa and say "oo (your) turn". She had so much fun with Papa.

Randy Davenport

For the last 25 years Gary has always been my Citizen watch representative. Whether with an indeoendent or a large chain he was always there to service our needs. I looked forward to his vists and will miss him. I consider Gary a friend.

Randy Davenport

Spjut Family

We only met Gary a few times, but it was one of the most wonderful days of our lives--Scott and Nikki's wedding. His great humor, generosity and love of his family were clearly evident. We are so grateful for the wonderful daughter-in-law we have come to know and love and for everything Gary and Laura did to make that day beautiful and lovely in every way. The many comments we have read on the blog have helped us appreciate how much Gary was loved by everyone and how much he will be missed. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Ron, Gayle and family

Ben VanderHoek

Laura,
Ann and I just got the news about Gary. We are sorry for the loss you and the girls have. Know that we love you all and our prayers will petition the Lord to continue to bless your lives. Love, Ben & Ann VanderHoek

~

Ben VanderHoek

Tom Wennergren

I started in the jewelry business in Logan 1991 and have known Gary ever since. He has been a good friend. I could always practice my poor Italian on him. He brought good humor and happiness on every visit. He will be missed.

~

Tom Wennergren

Kathleen Neeck

Gary was a very nice, kind and very funny. Words cannot express the loss that you have endured. I met Gary on my first day on the job in Santa Barbara and he made me feel like I was part of a great family at Citizen Watch Company. He shared his knowledge to help me through the days. Gary was one of my first salesreps that was in my terrotoity of responsiblities. Very kind when he called and supportive. Gary's kindess will be be missed. I'll keep you in mind and heart for you and your family.

~

Kathleen Neeck

Le Ann Dansie

Laura & girls...I was so saddened to hear of your great loss. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. It has been a pleasure to know your wonderful family and hope that through your grief you can remember the happy times you spent together.

Sincerely,
Le Ann Dansie

Dr Payne and staff

We are saddened at the loss of such a wonderful man. Gary had a very special way about him. We will miss him a lot. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of great sorrow.

With love,
Dr Payne and staff

Tim Branscomb

Dear Gary's Family,

I have known Gary for about 20 years. Always happy, smiling, and a real gentleman. Well the Lord has big plans for this good man. May God bless and keep his family.

Sincerely,

Tim Branscomb
Sierra West Jewelers

Jim vanBree

I met Gary for the 1st time 22 years ago when I entered the Jewelry business. I never saw him without a huge smile on his face. Gary was a proud family man and spoke of them often. He will be missed by all who knew him. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family.

~

Jim vanBree

Keri Smith

Gary will truly be missed! He always had a cheerful attitude every time I saw him. He provided great insight to me and was always a great example. My heart goes out to his family! Wish I would have had more time to learn from such a strong person.

~

Keri Smith

Brad A. Campbell

Gary will truly be missed. He always had a smile on his face and was always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. Gary was a rare person that you could always count on.
I have known Gary most if not all of my Jewelry career. He has become a true friend. I will miss him very much. We send Love and Prayers to his family. We will miss a very special person but the good Lord has gained a one of a kind Angel. I'll miss you Gary. Angles over You and Your family.

Brad A. Campbell

Sue Shifflett

Gary was our Citizen Watch Rep. when I worked at Morgan Jewelers. He was always so friendly, and willing to help us through any problems. His smile was instant, and his laugh contagious. We have lost a wonderful man, but Heaven has gained a dedicated and loving spirit. Prayers are with all his family and dear friends who feel his loss, but revel in memories that we shared.

~

Sue Shifflett

Zuly Gifford

I have been blessed to have known and worked with Laura back in 1980. Then i was also blessed to have Gary as my Citizen rep for JCPenney. I enjoyed the talk we always had with me. He always had time to talk and listen. He alway talked of Laura and the Kids. I will miss him. I think it was April when i saw him last. He was always happy. Your family will be in my prayers and may Heavenly Father bless you family at this time. All my love to Laura and the girls.

~

Zuly Gifford

Leslie B. Peterson

Gary was starting his career with Citizen Watch Company at the same time I was starting my career with Fred Meyer Jewelers at the store on 9400 S & 700 E. For the next 23 years we would share stories about our kids growing up and changes in our lifes. On every visit Gary made to the store he always brightened the day with his great stories and sense of humor. Gary was proud of his family and spoke of them often. During this trying time for Laura and the family my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Leslie B. Peterson

Sherri

We will miss Gary's great smile. He was one of my favorite patients.

Sherri R.D.H. {Dr. Hart's office}

Ranae Murphy

Nikki, Laura and family,
I am so sorry for your loss. Jessica loves your family and is so sad. Nikki we feel close to you as well and will pray for you during this time. Life hands us many curves that we can't explain or understand but I do know that God will be with you and you will feel his presence as you mourn the loss of Gary. His love will be with you meaning Gary's, and Our Father in Heaven. Our love is with you.

~

Ranae Murphy

Blake Murri

I met Gary in the 2nd grade (at Riverside elementary) shortly after my family moved to Idaho Falls. He made me feel welcome, and we quickly became best friends. Gary was always full of life, and he made me laugh. We had countless sleepovers, and shared with each other our deepest thoughts. I learned a lot about life from Gary, including the value of a strong work ethic.
Gary and I continued to correspond with one another as our lives went in different directions. I could always count on Gary to send an annual Christmas card and letter, and an occasional photo. I could see the love that Gary had for his family through those letters. Through the photos, I enjoyed seeing his daughters grow up to be beautiful young women. They were Gary's pride and joy.
I will miss my old best friend! My condolences go out to Laura and "the girls", to Rick, to Melanie, and to Gary's parents.

~

Blake Murri

Shawn, Darrell, Mark and Steve

Gary was one of our very favorite sales reps. He was always so generous and would constantly "bend over backwards" to make sure we were happy. We are so sad to see such a lasting relationship come to an end. Our thoughts are with his family. CITIZEN will not be the same without him and we will miss his Lexus pulling up in the parking lot. We know he is in a great place.

Shawn, Darrell, Mark and Steve
Sierra~West Jewelers

Cynthia Buchanan

So sorry for you loss. I've worked with Gary for 21 years. Never met him in person but spoke with him many time on the phone, he would always put a smile on my face. That's just the effect he had on people. Gary is in a peaceful place now. My prayers are with the family.

~

Cynthia Buchanan

Debbie Vaughn

Dear Clark Family - our saddest and deepest sympaties to you! We love your family and are grateful our lives connected. Gary was never without a smile on his face, which always seemed genuine, and that's the image that we will remember.

~

Debbie Vaughn

Ken Rives

A fine man has left us. He will be missed. I was fortunate to have been able to spend many hours with Gary in a one-on-one environment, and he taught me much. His love of family and God, his intelligence, giving attitude, and work ethic are memories I will always cherish. My heartfelt sympathies are with Laura and the kids, David and his family, and all family and friends. You and he are in my prayers. May he rest in peace.

~

Ken Rives

Don & Bobbie Christy

I met Gary twice. He was the life long friend of my son-in-law, Paul Watterson. Nothing but kind words were spoken of this man who was always caring and there to assist in any way. We feel for your loss.

~

Don & Bobbie Christy

Annie Livingston

Clark family,
I am so sorry for your loss. I remember how Gary came on our (Mackenzi and Friends) senior trip to lake Powell. He took us on endless boat rides and made sure we all had a great time. He will be missed.

~

Annie Livingston

Lori Tanner

I had a crush on Gary when we were teenagers, and we never dated, but remained friends forever and I'm really going to miss him. Back in the late 90's, I can remember him calling me one day out of the blue,hadn't talk to him in years, and it was a day I was really depressed, down about life and my many challenges, I had been crying pretty hard, and he turned my day around instantly. He started talking about some self help conference he was going to about self worth or something, I think he sent me a brochure on it. Now, I wish I could have returned the favor, our family loved him.

He went out of his way to get my son the watch he wanted for his mission, and even hand delivered it to the mission office when it came in, and of course gave us a great discount. Last month we were suppose to get in touch with him, cause we were coming to town, I emailed him I was coming, but I didn't, because my time was so short, now I wished that I would of. I really owe him a lot.

We wrote when he was on his mission, I still have the letters, he was always upbeat and funny, I loved to laugh with him. I am so sorry to see him go, he was a special friend, one in a million. Love you lots Gary.

~

Lori Tanner

Jessica Neff

We loved Bro. Clark, especially our 4 year old daughter. He truly was the worlds greatest primary teacher. Our prayers are with Gary and the Clark family. We are so sorry for your loss.

~

Jessica Neff

Deanna Brasher

Gary was the sweetest nicest man. I loved our chats when he came in the salon. He always radiated a heart of gold and a smile for everyone. I'm so sorry for your huge loss.

~

Deanna Brasher

Marcelo Fraga

Gary was and is a wonderful person, I will miss Gary, and he was a great friend!
I first met Gary when he started working for Citizen W.C.
Very few people I known in the industry that could always followed up so well on all the problems like him.
We are very sorry for your loss.

~

Marcelo Fraga

Travis Dallimore

I am really sorry! Gary was a good man and a great watch rep. Our prayers are with you!

~

Travis Dallimore

Bruce, Glenn, and Dick

From Bruce, Glenn, and Dad (Dick)we've always enjoyed his visits; he was a great guy!

Denise Maw

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always. Please know you and the family are in our prayers.

~

Denise Maw

James Dixon

Gary was a fine man. We enjoyed his visits to our store. Our condolences to the family and close friends. Sincerely, James-- Goldesign Jewelers.

~

James Dixon

Todd McNeil

Words cannot even begin to express my sorrow. I am so sorry for your loss. Gary was the brightest person I've known. He was always there to guide and support; a great friend.

With deepest sympathy, my thoughts are with you and your family.

~

Todd McNeil

Carolyn Finn

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've known him for 25 yrs. through JC Penny's ZCMI & Farr's Jewelry in Idaho Falls. He was a great guy with a contageous smile. He will be greatly missed.
He called me recently and said he was coming to our store, but never showed up. I thought it was not like him. Sincere Condolences, Carolyn Finn Farr's Jewelry

~

Carolyn Finn

Roberto Fraga

We are sorry to hear of your loss, we are thinking of you at this time.

~

Roberto Fraga

Halle Enslow

Halle Bug loves her Papa so much! Whenever we would go over to their house she would run in the door and yell for Noa (Laura) and Papa, she would run straight to Papa's office to greet him. I asked her what she liked to to the most with her Papa, and she said "I love my Papa!" and then she said "I help him his homework, and you said no Mom, that's not nice." What she meant was she loved to help my Dad in his office, one day they spent all this time making letters for everyone. Halle would type on the computer, they'd print it out, fold it, staple it, and write the persons name on it. They made six of them, one for each person there. And of course I was the mean mom that was trying to get Halle out of the office so Papa could work. Papa would stop work and let Halle "help" him with anything and get away with things that her mom wouldn't, what every Papa should do, right? Papa gave Halle her first motorcycle ride. (and my first heart attack. :) ) Halle also loved to sit on Papa's lap on his chair in the family room and help him eat his popcorn. She would always wrap her little arms around his neck and give him a big hug and tell him that she loves him. She will miss her Papa but knows he's with the angels now.

Amapola Yeung

Gary was my absolute favorite sales rep at Citizen. Named “IT dungeon queen” by Gary, I had the pleasure of working with Gary on couple computer projects. His knowledge, insightfulness, creativity emerged as a true professional and a great teacher. I loved hanging around Gary at sales meetings to hear pranks his planned for other sales reps, nicknames he had for the bowling groups etc. Gary was kind, smart, sincere, and truly funny; he earned instant trust from everyone who had met him. I treasure the emails Gary had sent me, they are my fond memories of a sweet person I have known. I will forever miss Gary. God bless the Clark family.

Amapola Yeung
Citizen Watch Company

Cate Gentry

My heart has been so heavy since Friday. What a dear friend Gary was. He had a huge heart and was a great big teddy bear of a man. He would do just about anything for you and always made sure everyone was having a good time. You could count on Gary. So many memories . . . Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Bear Lake, Line Dancing, painting those kitchen cabinets, running up to the cabin in Samak. Just hanging out. Mostly, I just remember lots of laughter and friendship. We had the world figured out back in those days, didn't we. . . We think we will all live forever - we never realize that the last time we saw you was going to be the last time. . . Our life is richer for having known Gary and Laura and the girls. Our memories are fond and plentiful. Thank you for your friendship and love. There will always be a place in our hearts for you. May you have peace, Gary and may the Lord be with your family at this time.

Arrivederci il mio amico, resto nella pace.

Cate Gentry

Kurt Gentry

Gary was a friend for life! It never mattered how much time had passed between us, we were back to old times. The Clarks have been as good as real family ever gets. We love each and every one of them. It would be impossible to count the number of laughs we have shared. We enjoyed every moment together, whether we were out to dinner, home with kids or sleeping on the top deck of the house boat, it was always a Great Adventure! I can't ever remember a time that Gary didn't bring a smile to my face. He was a kind hearted friend, who taught me how to grab life.

One of my favorite memories of Gary was his new Parasail. He couldn't wait to get it to Lake Powell and give it a try. He was well versed on how it worked, but the rest of us, were completely lacking. Luckily, I was selected to be the first one to test it, why? Why not? We had no idea how much line to use, how fast the boat needed to go to get lift-off or whether there was enough beach to run on, before we would have to run on water. Most important, we didn't care. Gary had us all excited! Excited to spend a week at Powell acting like a bunch of teenagers and having the time of our lives.

Well, the line was too long, the beach was too short and lift off never happened. We did however find a briar patch, full of weeds, sticks and rocks, and yes I did end up getting drug through it. Scraped and bruised, we all laughed until our sides ached. Then we discovered we had made another mistake, We had the Parasail upside down. We never noticed the arrow pointing to which direction was to point UP. We laughed for years later about that day.

If we measured time by smiles and love, then Gary has lived to be a ripe old age. He would have helped the rest of us live a long and meaningful life, as well. Indeed time would have seemed endless, for he made all of us happy. But time is measured by passing hours and days. Unfortunately, this kind of time with Gary was too short, stopped half way through a full life. The good memories are still there, but the tears have stepped in the way for now. I pray we may all pass through the tears, much like the briar patch. I hope Laura and the girls will get over the pain and smile again. I suppose we will all find air in the future and sail once more, high above the surface of the water. And as we do, may we all remember our love for Gary,... and Laugh.

We will love you forever, farewell for now and keep a smile for us on the other side

Your Friend for Life
Kurt Gentry

Erika Peterson

This is Kenzi's friend Erika... I have thought of a few little things about your dad that I wanted to share:) I have been friends with Kenz since Middle School and every time I called her house NO FAIL, Gary would answer and say, "Is Erika there?" It threw me off the first few times, but then years later it was just expected! Ha! I will miss just simply seeing him out in his yard either mowing the lawn or getting the mail as I would drive by to go to my parent's house. We would always exchange a friendly wave:) Lake Powell was also a great memory... he just laughed when his parasail gave me a fat lip, but it was well worth it! All the memories that I have of this man are good. He was always so happy, smiling and joking around. You will be missed Gary!!
Much Love,
Erika Peterson

Stacy Towner

I always loved seeing Gary's smiling face whenever I came over. He always joked around with Kenz and I. He is a fun loving, humorous guy! He will be missed! I am glad that the Clark family moved close by because it helped my friendship with Kenzi grow even more. He raised such beautiful, strong, smart daughters and I am grateful to have Kenzi as a best friend. Many of us will never forget our unforgettable senior trip that Gary was a part of. We had the best time with Gary. He was more than willing to share his time, money, and boat to make our senior trip to Lake Powell a memorable one. I will never forget how fun it was to go para-sailing behind his boat. These were priceless moments shared with Gary at Lake Powell. My husband absolutely fell in love with Gary over this trip. He has told me, "Gary is such a nice guy, I love that guy!" I think we all would agree. Gary will always be loved and remembered. I love the Clark family and I will keep you in my prayers.

Love,
Stacy Towner

Susannah Lloyd Harris

Dear Clark Family,

I know it has been a while since I have seen any of you, but I just
wanted to tell you how sorry I am of the loss of your father and
husband. Gary was one of my Sunday School teachers when I was in High
School, and he was probably one of the best Sunday School teachers I
ever had. The love and knowledge he had for the gospel was inspiring
to us, but of course his humor was what probably brought us back each
Sunday. He was so...much fun to be around. It was a joy to have some
one teach us who did not just read the lesson to us out of the manual.
It is wonderful that after 16 years or so have gone by, but I still
remember him so fondly. Again, I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot
imagine what you are going through, but I hope you will always know
how much people loved and adored him. Thank you for sharing this blog
with us so we can remember him.

Sincerely,

Susannah Lloyd Harris

Rachel Enslow

Rachel is only 22 months old but already shared the same passion for boating as her Papa! On Father's Day this year we pulled up in the driveway at my parent's house and she got so excited to see the boat! She started yelling "Hi boat! boat!" She got out and went over to the boat to say hi and give the boat a hug. I'm so glad my Dad was able to see her enthusiasm and love for his boat. It was so fun to be able to go boating on the 4th of July, Rachel even got to drive the boat with Papa. Rachel got her big blue eyes from her Papa and loves him dearly!

Barb Jackson Remembers Gary

Those spectacular blue eyes,great humor and wit were only matched by your kind heart and love of your family and friends. My heart breaks as I think of how much all of us will miss you, my dear friend.

Kristi Curtis

Hey Laura & girls,

I have so many memories of Gary I don't even know where to start. I think my favorite memory is when I always reminded him that I was his favorite cousin and he always eagerly agreed with his wonderful smile and bright blue eyes. I'm going to miss him so much, but I know there was a glorious reunion with Grandma & Grandpa Curtis and with my mom & dad. I love you all and please know my thoughts and prayers are with you!!

Kristi

Lori Jean Williamsen

It was just a short time back that I made a trip to Salt Lake to see my cousin Denny. I took my two daughters to meet this fun loving, kind hearted, peace making man. Some of his children were there and his wife. He introduced them all with pride for his wonderful family. We shared memories of travels and activities that had transpired over the years we had been away from one another. I remember well Thanksgiving dinners at Grandpa and Grandma Clarks. Denny may have known great tricks to play, but he always seemed to know when to call it quites. When all the other cousins started to argue or fight, he was the one that would lighten the mood or step in to mend the hurt feelings. It is so hard to think that he is no longer with us. How grateful I am for the wonderful memories I have of Denny, the example he was and the joy he brought to all of us that knew him. Denny, you will be missed!

Rachel Gentry Bott

I don't think I have one childhood memory without the Clark family in it. We spent many vacations, holidays, and weekends together. One of my favorite memories though was one day when Gary and my dad Kurt took all the girls up skiing to Brighton. On the last run of the day, Gary and my dad decided they wanted to do a different route and told us to just meet them at the bottom of the hill. There were six of us together, so I am sure they thought we were safe. However, we got lost and they waited and waited and waited. Finally when it started to get dark, they called the ski patrol. Once we were found we were returned to our dad's. They thought it was so funny having all six girls screaming and yelling at them for losing us. Gary cracked jokes all the way home too. They obviously didn't learn their lesson because a few weeks later, Gary and my dad took us skiing and lost us again. We really learned our way around those hills at Brighton by the end of the season.

I don't ever remember a time with the Clark family that we weren't laughing or enjoying ourselves. Every time I would go over to the Clark's, Gary would call me his little girlfriend. He had a way of making you feel comfortable. I always felt at home with their family.

Gary is truly going to be missed. We love you Clark girls!

Rachel Gentry Bott
Family friend and neighbor.

Mark Olsen

I want to send Gary’s family my love and condolences for the passing of their father and husband. Gary was a great man. When I met him and Laura for the first time he let me know how important family was. I was dating his sister Melanie and he told me that she was his pride and joy and that I needed to treat her with love and respect. I know that Gary loved his sister, brothers and parents.

Over the years I witnessed Gary’s love for his family. We shared many memories together, including several boating trips. I remember the first time he let me drive his boat, he was patient as I pulled him on the ski. I only got to drive once that trip because I almost drowned him and drove into another boat. The rest of the trip Laura took over when he wanted to ski. After much patient and practice he let me drive again.

For many years Gary provided me with watches. He frequently teased that he wanted me to become a “watch tester” because I was so hard on the watches. Once he gave me an off brand watch to see if it would last longer, it broke the next day.

We as a family will miss you, Gary. I will always look up to you as a brother and a friend. I look forward to the day when we meet and embrace again.

Love,

Mark Olsen

P.S. Gary I will try and live up the commitment I made 29 years ago of taking care of your little sister.

Kendra, Rachelle, Brittney, Lacey, and Shalyse Olsen

Our hearts are broken with the devastating news of the loss of our dear Uncle Gary. We have many wonderful memories with him and wanted to share some of our favorites.

Growing up we had the opportunity to go boating with Uncle Gary numerous times. During our several trips to Lake Powell he loved to go out first thing in the morning to get the “glass water.” We remember how we would complain that it was too cold, too early, and we were just too tired. But he would always somehow talk us into going. While in the water mustering up the courage to tell him to hit it he would give his famous last words, “put your knees to your chest, put your legs together, lean back and stand up.” After several failed attempts he would patiently sit on the back of the boat and show us the ideal position. He never got tired of trying to teach us how to ski, he started teaching us at a young age with the training skis. On our last trip together he had taught us so well that he did not even have to demonstrate the correct positions, he had helped us master the skills. He had such a passion for skiing that he wanted to share it with all of us. We will always remember how amazing it was when he would barefoot behind the boat.

Uncle Gary loved a good joke; he always took the opportunity to teach the inexperienced banana boat riders “his” correct way to ride the banana boat. He would direct you to lean the same way the boat was turning, which would insure with each turn there would be bodies flying off in various directions. After each fall, he would tell the riders that they were not leaning far enough and that if they would just lean a little farther they would make the turn. This process would continue numerous times until the Clark girls would share the secret with the riders. During our several trips to Lake Powell we created some of our most cherished memories which will stay with us forever.

He knew how to make those around him laugh and have a great time. There was never a dull moment with Uncle Gary around. Dinner always took triple the amount of time because they were filled with fun teasing and numerous jokes. Uncle Gary always had the nicest car with all the latest cool features. We would all argue who was going to be the lucky one who got to ride with him in his spiffy car. Uncle Gary’s bright spirit and good jokes will always be some of our most precious memories with him.

We will dearly miss our loving and kind hearted uncle and look forward to being with him again. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Love,

Your nieces Kendra, Rachelle, Brittney, Lacey, and Shalyse Olsen.

Scott Bunch

I have known Gary for many years ever since he came to work at Citizen. I have a copy of the “Tick Tock Times” (the Citizen USA newsletter of yester years) which contains photos of the Sales Awards recipients for the year 1993. Gary was presented with the “Phil Rosenberg Award”. Phil was a fellow salesman who I first met in 1982. This award is presented to a salesman once per year who exhibits the qualities that Phil possessed. Gary and Phil had a few things in common. They were both top salesmen, well liked by their peers, and they both took the time to help or teach others. Gary was my roommate two years ago at a sales meeting in Desert Springs. He was very eager to share his computer skills with me. I called him with questions from time to time and he was always helpful and cheerful. To me Gary felt like a cousin: Even though I saw him infrequently, I felt comfortable being around him and we always had a mutual respect for each other. Gary touched many people’s lives in a positive way. He was a good man. That is his legacy. I will always remember him. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Scott Bunch, Miami, FL