OBITUARY: Richard ‘Dick’ Joseph Clark

Richard ‘Dick’ Joseph Clark

Richard “Dick” Joseph Clark, age 89, of Las Vegas, Nevada, passed from our presence Friday, March 25, 2022. He was born March 26, 1932, in Delta, Millard County, Utah, the third son and sixth child of Richard Garland Clark and Vivian Alldredge Talbot.

He was born in a grain silo on his father’s farm and weighed nearly 13 pounds. No one seemed in any hurry to name him, so his oldest sister, Ruth, finally decided he should be named after their dad, Richard, and their grandpa, Joseph. Dick attended high school in Delta, competing in basketball and football. He was the freshman class president, FFA treasurer, and King of the Penny Arcade. Ask him any time, and he would tell you he was proud to be a Delta Rabbit.

Growing up in Millard County, Dick and his best friend, Harold “Doc” Meinhardt, worked, played, rode horses, and got into the typical mischief of farm kids in those days. Once the farm chores were done, one of his favorite pastimes was chasing wild horses across the west desert. In a display of sheer determination and strength, he once chased a colt on foot until he caught it with his bare hands. He could break any horse, no matter how wild and stubborn, a talent that would help in the raising of his children.

Dick graduated from Delta High School in 1950 and went to work on a road crew with the Utah State Highway Department for a couple of years before enlisting in the Air Force. During the Korean War, his military service took him to Georgia, Japan, and Korea. After four years, he received an honorable discharge. He returned to Delta, where he met Sally Clements when she was working as a waitress at Tops City Cafe. They were married a year later, on June 10, 1957.

They moved to Kanab for the summer, where Dick worked for the state road crew on the road to the Glen Canyon Dam. In the fall of 1957, he and Sally moved to Cedar City, Utah, where he attended the College of Southern Utah (CSU). Their daughter, Charlene, was born on April Fool’s Day, 1958. Dick graduated from CSU in 1959 with an Associate of Science in Range Management, and he and Sally moved with their daughter to Logan, Utah, where he attended Utah State University (USU). He graduated from USU in 1961 with a Bachelor’s in Range Management.

After graduation, Dick took a job with the US Forest Service and moved his family to Denver, Colorado. Their daughter, Susan “Susie,” was born in September 1961. But Dick’s work fighting wildfires took him away from home more than he wanted, so in 1963, he and Sally packed up their family and their belongings and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he met up with his lifelong friend, Eldon “Ellie” Cahoun to work for Stout Construction. Since they didn’t have a house when they got there, the little family lived with Ellie and his wife Johanna for about six weeks until they could find a home.

Dick and Sally welcomed their first son, Kenneth “Kenny,” into the family in January 1964, and three years later, in May 1967, they welcomed their second son, Richard “Richy.” Also, in 1967, Dick, Ellie, and three other friends started a grading, paving, and excavating company they named Mesa Construction.

Their first job was building campgrounds at Fish Lake, Utah. Years later, in 1975, when a summer monsoon triggered flash flooding that devastated the Las Vegas Valley, especially the Caesar’s Palace parking lot and Flamingo Wash on the Las Vegas Strip, Mesa Construction played an integral part in unstacking cars, removing debris, and cleaning up the carnage.

At age 50, Dick and his lifelong friend and business partner Ellie started CC Construction. The pair were known in the construction community as Dick-n-Ellie since one was rarely seen without the other. CC Construction has continued to grow from its inception, and Dick’s son, Kenny, carries on that legacy.
On weekends when they weren’t working, there was nothing Dick enjoyed more than traipsing up and down the Virgin River with Ellie and the Hughes boys in hot pursuit of Canadian geese.

Dick was a brilliant businessman who helped build Las Vegas from the dirt up. In addition, he was a talented surveyor, estimator, and equipment operator. But raising his family with his wife Sally was his most prized accomplishment, and he supported his children in activities ranging from athletics and cheerleading to music and beauty pageants.

In 1986, Dick became a diehard, lifelong supporter of UNLV athletics. He spent countless Saturday afternoons cheering on Rebel football teams at the Silver Bowl. And he cheered the Runnin’ Rebels basketball teams at the Las Vegas Convention Center and, later, at the Thomas and Mack. If the games weren’t local, he scoured the television schedule, ensuring he didn’t miss a shot, a field goal, or a kick-off.

Dick leaves behind a large family, countless friends, colleagues, and associates who hold him in the highest esteem. He is survived by two daughters and two sons: Charlene (Ken) Paul, Susan (Jonathan) Leavitt, Kenny (Sheryl) Clark, and Richard Clark; fourteen grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and one sister, Ruth (Clark) Done. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally; his father, Richard; mother, Vivian; two brothers: Scott Clark, and Sid Clark; two sisters: Nona Garcia and Charlotte “Chuck” Gaylor; one son-in-law, Martin Cortney; and one grandson-in-law, Jeremie Higgins.

Funeral services will be held April 16, 2022 at Palm Northwest Mortuary and Cemetery, 6701 N. Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89131. A viewing and catered celebration of life will be from noon to 2 p.m. Funeral services will be from 2-3 p.m. Graveside will be at 3 p.m. All are welcome to join Dick’s family and friends as we remember a life well-lived. Family, friends, colleagues, and associates are invited to sign the online guest book at palmnorthwest.com. For questions regarding the services, call Palm Northwest Mortuary and Cemetery at 702-464-8460.

A limb has fallen from our family tree, And I hear a voice saying, “Don’t cry long for me. Think of the good times; don’t let grief prolong. Remember my life when I was healthy and strong. Continue the heritage that I gave to you, Don’t dwell on the clouds, and the sun will shine through. My mind is at peace, and my soul is at rest. I take with me knowledge of a life truly blessed. Go on with your lives; don’t stand long at my grave. I’m not far away. Hold your head up. Be brave.” (Be Brave by ©CharlenePaul.com 2022)