Obituary of Arthur Clark Jones

During his 89 years, Clark lived a life filled with fun, adventure, and love. A proud Floridian and longtime resident of Manatee County: he was born in Fairfield, Florida to Thomas Claude Jones and Emma Miriam Yongue Jones; grew up in Palma Sola; served in the USAF; owned his own business; retired from the Manatee County Building Department as Chief Inspector. Restless in retirement, he continued working as a Certified Building Official well into his 70's. In his "retirement" he commercial-fished with his nephew, Ed; built a few docks with his oldest brother, Claude; and played with boats, gardening, the odd building/reno project, and generally never stopped. Clark married thrice (Barbara Ruth Stehle, Beverly Jo Ashley, and Dorothy Frances Davis), was widowed (Dottie), and later loved again in his golden years. He was blessed with his children: David (Royce) Crawford, Pamela (Don) Mikles, Valerie Coddington, Laurie (Gary) Wickizer, Lisa (Steve) Hurst, and Clark (John) Jones; nine grandchildren; and 8 greats. He is predeceased by his parents, his siblings Claude and Miriam, and grandsons Jason and Aaron Crawford. Clark is survived by his children and their families; his siblings Charles (Bette) and Edward; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Along the way, some fish were caught, some beer was spilt, stories were told, and love was shared. We got to experience his big smile, the tender way his large hands held, the strength of his hugs, and the twinkle in his eyes. He is loved and will be greatly missed by family, friends, in-laws and out-laws. A Life Celebration will be held in Cortez on July 31st. Please contact the family for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Parkinson's Foundation or charity of your choice.