Submitted by: Dan Rich
John Franklin Clark II
South Bend Tribune 3/27/1999
J. Franklin ''Frank'' Clark, 84, of Indianapolis, Ind., formerly of South Bend, Ind., died following an illness on Thursday, March 25, in the Robin Run Health Center, Indianapolis, Ind. Mr. Clark was born on March 11, 1915, in Burt, Iowa, to John F. and Etta Clark, and was a longtime area resident before moving to Indianapolis.
In 1940 he married Esther French, who survives. He is also survived by a daughter, Shirley A. Crist of Carmel, Calif.; two sons, John A. Clark of Martinsville, Ind., and Jeffrey S. Clark of Carmel; a grandson, Douglas Clark of Muncie, Ind.; two sisters, Hazel LaBelle of Pinelas Park, Fla., and Genetta Chadwick of Houston, Texas; and by a brother, Leslie Clark of Cambria, Calif.
Mr. Clark retired from AT&T as a lineman and repairman. He was a member of the Sunnyside Presbyterian Church in South Bend, and Pioneers of America. During his high school years at Burkett (Ind.) High School, he was a standout athlete in basketball and baseball. Between 1934 and 1939 he played professional baseball in the Texas Professional Baseball Leagues, and played with and knew the Dimaggio brothers. His team was considered the AAA farm team for the Cincinnati Reds. World War II intervened and Mr. Clark served in the Army as a captain in the artillery division. Even though he never returned to professional baseball he continued to play locally and, in 1994, his picture was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune as the oldest active softball player in Indiana at 79 years old.
Funeral services for Mr. Clark will be held at 1 p.m. today in the Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, 115 S. Francis Street, with Rev. James B. Miller officiating. Entombment will follow in Riverview Cemetery. There will be no visitation. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Northern Indiana Chapter, Jefferson Medical Arts Building, 919 E. Jefferson Blvd., #01, South Bend, IN 46617-3119.