Franklin resident known for competitiveness, dedication, kindness

No matter the situation, Timothy Clark was going to give it his best shot.

On the golf course, his friends appreciated his fiery competitiveness and constant desire to play better. As a volunteer picking up food for the local food pantry, he was methodical in securing whatever he could for people in need.

"There was nothing that would stop him from working. He would scrounge up everything he had to get to us,” said Carol Phipps, co-manager at the Interchurch Food Pantry, where Clark volunteered.

Kind, giving, unassuming, committed to excellence: Clark lived his life dedicated to helping those around him and always striving to be better. Whether in his golf game or in the community, that meant using his talents and skills for the betterment of others.

"Tim will be missed. He was a cheerful kind of person who brought some kindness to the world that we’ll miss," said Andy Kinsey, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, which Clark attended.

Clark was one of four Johnson County residents killed when their plane crashed last week in a field near Capital Region International Airport in Lansing, Michigan. John Lowe, of Greenwood, Joel Beavins, of Franklin, and Neil Sego, of Trafalgar, also died in the crash, as did a Plainfield resident, Zechariah Bennett. The sole survivor of the crash, Aaron Blackford, of Frankton, is recovering at a Lansing-area hospital.

Ed Aide was friends with Clark for about the past 10 years ago. The words he used to describe his friend ranged from kind to genuine to passionate about the game of golf.

“He and I bonded quickly together. We played a lot of golf over the years,” Aide said.

Clark and Aide played together in the Tuesday night league at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin. They were also partners in the Legends’ fantasy golf league, which the two excelled at. This past season, they finished fourth out of 20 teams.

Hearing the news about the death of his friend, as well as Beavins, another resident at the Legends, was difficult to bear.

“I had heard about Joel, and then I got a second call indicating about Tim, and I just lost it,” Aide said.

Born and raised in Seymour, Clark lived his entire life in Indiana. He was drawn toward accounting; he excelled at the precise nature of numbers. After graduating with honors from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, he became a licensed certified public accountant. He worked at Arthur Young and Co. for 10 years, then at RCA Thompson Consumer Electronics for 20 years before retiring.

His meticulous nature was a thread that ran through his entire life — particularly in his golf game.

“He was a pretty detailed guy. I’d say he was impeccable in his approach to the things he did,” said Ted Bishop, general manager at The Legends.

His fiery competitiveness was impressive, Bishop said.

Clark was a regular presence around the Legends. He and Kathryn, his wife of 46 years, had lived in a condo off the second hold at the course for more than 20 years.

“It wasn’t uncommon to drive down the course and see him on the back patio reading or sitting out there,” Bishop said.

When he wasn’t working on his golf game, Clark was giving his time to make his community a better place and assist those in need. His time was given to local schools, neighborhood associations and churches.

He volunteered with LifeLine Pilots, a non-profit organization that provides air transportation for medical patients in need.

Clark and his wife attended Grace United Methodist Church for a number of years. During their time, they were very active in small groups and Bible studies, as well as serving on many of the church’s service projects over the years, Kinsey said.

“Tim was a great, kind gentleman. He was more behind-the-scenes, but he had an inquisitiveness about himself. He wanted to learn. We often had good, thoughtful conversations about what was happening around us in our world,” he said. “Those were some of the gratifying moments you can have with people.”

For about five years, Clark was in charge of driving a truck for the Interchurch Food Pantry. Every Tuesday, he would take the pantry’s box truck to Midwest Food Pantry in Indianapolis, loading it up with food and other items to be distributed to the needy of Johnson County.

“He was extremely dependable. He’d bring back lots of good food. He was a joy to have as a volunteer,” Phipps said.

During his years as a driver, Clark became friends with the people at the Midwest Food Pantry. When they had special items to distribute, they’d tip him off and ask if he wanted to bring it back to Johnson County.

“Tim never said no, so he’d bring back tons and tons of stuff,” Phipps said. “One time he brought back boxes and boxes of toys. He said, ‘Carol, I don’t know if you want them, but I couldn’t say no — look at how good they are!’”

Clark was never one to let adversity stand in the way, Phipps said.

One year, in early January, Phipps arrived at the pantry to get ready for the day’s distribution. When she arrived, Clark was already in the warehouse – dressed head to toe in a coat, hat, scarf and heavy boots.

“The heat had gone off in the warehouse, and it was so cold in there. He was so covered up that I had to ask who it was,” Phipps said. “But it didn’t stop him from working. He was there to unload the truck no matter what."