Obituary

Arthur M. Clarke III
1944 - 2017
Resident of Walnut Creek
Arthur M. Clarke III ("Art" or "Ace"), 72, died at his Seward, Nebraska home on August 25, 2017. Art passed away peacefully in his sleep from apparent cardiac arrest. The eldest child of Arthur M. Clarke, Jr. and Evelyn Clarke, Art was born in October 1944 at Randolph Field Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas. The son of a career Army officer, Art moved often while growing up and lived in eight different states, Japan, and Germany before finishing high school.
Art met Gail Houghton while attending Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where he majored in engineering. Art and Gail were married in December 1965 in Randolph, New York. The couple lived in the same house in Walnut Creek, California for 41 years, where they raised two daughters, Pamela ("Pam") and Kristin ("Kristy"). They welcomed four granddaughters: Miranda, Violette, Bethany, and Naomi. In early 2017, Art and Gail relocated to Seward, Nebraska to be closer to family and more involved as grandparents.
After college, Art worked for Westinghouse Corp. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he helped design the computerized control system for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in San Francisco, California. BART recruited Art from Westinghouse in 1970. He spent the rest of his career with BART, rising to become a lead project engineer before retiring in 2005.
A strong believer in public service, Art served on the Walnut Creek School District Governing Board for 25 years. He specialized in infrastructure and school finance and enjoyed working with board members, staff, and parents, united in the desire to provide quality education for their students. Art attended countless PTA and education foundation events and volunteered in after-school tutoring programs. He served on Walnut Creek's Community Emergency Response Team for several years. At St. Anselm's Episcopal Church, Art participated in the Property Commission and chaired the Cancer Support Group. A cancer survivor, he believed that education and mutual support were vital when fighting that disease. The group remembers him fondly both for his leadership and for his signature brownies.
Art's other interests included wine appreciation and collecting, vegetable gardening, model trains, reading (especially science and science fiction), Sudoku, building and maintaining personal computers, all things Dilbert, feeding and watching wild birds, caring for his pet cats, and traveling with Gail during his retirement. Art described their trip to the Panama Canal as "a dream vacation for engineers." He enjoyed sharing time, stimulating conversation, and quality food and wine with close friends. Those friends remember his wry wit, the twinkle in his eye, and his dry sense of humor. Although he was generally quiet, Art possessed an active mind and stayed knowledgeable about many topics. When he contributed to a conversation, others took note of his insightful and relevant comments.
Art treasured his family. He asserted that women should follow any path, career or otherwise, suited to their talents and interests – including the traditionally male-dominated realms of math and science. He loved his granddaughters and earned the moniker of "baby whisperer" for his ability to calm and comfort them as infants. As they grew, he enjoyed reading and building Legos with them.
Art is survived by his wife, Gail; his daughters, Pam (Steve) Avenell of Woodinville, WA and Kristy (John) Jurchen of Seward, NE; his granddaughters, Miranda and Violette Avenell and Bethany and Naomi Jurchen; his mother, Evelyn Clarke; his brothers, William, Timothy, and Charles Clarke; his sister, Artelyn Harris; his uncle, John Clarke; his aunt, Dorothy Grinstead; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his father, Arthur Clarke Jr., and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Two memorial services will be held: September 16 at 4 PM at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Seward, NE, and December 16 at 2 PM at St. Anselm's Episcopal Church in Lafayette, CA. Art will be interred in the St. Anselm's columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial donations to one of the following:
Concordia University, Nebraska, in support of the Science Dept. 800 N. Columbia Ave., Seward, NE 68434. http://www.cune.edu
Walnut Creek Education Foundation. 960 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94596. http://wcefk12.org
St. Anselm's Episcopal Church Building Fund. 682 Michael Ln., Lafayette, CA 94549.

Published in East Bay Times on Sept. 22, 2017