Captain Bruce Clark

We will remember Captain Bruce Kevin Clark for his drive to succeed, his devotion to and love for his country, and his zest for life, but his shining legacy will be the outstanding and compassionate care he provided for those in his care. He was a man of great strength to be sure, yet this strength was complemented by a gentle spirit that is to be admired. Bruce’s life was enriched in so many ways through the years, yet there was no greater passion than spending time with the family he treasured more than life itself. Taken from those he loved much too soon, he will be deeply missed while his memory remains forever near and dear to the hearts of those too numerous to count.

The decade of the 1960s was a time of great change in our nation. We mourned the loss of John F. Kennedy and after making great strides forward in the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr’s death also rocked our nation to its core. The music scene was set by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones while McDonald’s introduced us to the Big Mac in 1968. This same year was a year to remember in the lives of one young couple from Addison, Michigan, as they were pleased to announce the birth of their healthy baby boy on September 10th. Bruce Kevin was welcomed into the arms of his parents, Bruce and Lucinda Clark, and was raised in the family home in Addison, located in the southeast corner of the state.

In many ways Bruce experienced a childhood that was fairly typical for the youth of his generation. He enjoyed 4-H and played Little League baseball, and he also developed a love for trap shooting. Bruce attended local schools, graduating from Addison High School in 1986. As a young man Bruce enjoyed volunteering as an EMT and fireman with the Addison Fire Department for a time.

New and exiting changes were in store for Bruce when he met the love of his life. Her name was Susan Orellana, and she was from Spencerport, New York. After dating for a time the couple found themselves deeply in love and married in 1999. A short time later the newlyweds moved to Spencerport where Bruce worked as a surgical technician at Highland Hospital in addition to volunteering for the Spencerport Fire Department. It was also during this time that Bruce and Susan were thrilled to welcome their daughter, Camille, into their hearts and home. The couple was later blessed with the birth of a second daughter, Catherine.

After continuing his education Bruce graduated cum laude from State University of New York College at Brockport in 2006 with a B.S. in nursing. In the fall of that same year he joined the United States Army Medical Corps. Bruce and his family were initially stationed at Trippler Army Medical Center at Fort Shafter in Honolulu, Hawaii. While there he worked on the telemetry floor and as a nurse in charge of the allergy and immunology, endocrinology, neurology and dermatology clinics.

Some time later Bruce completed the critical care nursing course in San Antonio, and he was soon stationed at William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss as a critical care nurse. In March of 2011, Captain Clark was recruited onto a team with whom he completed the grueling 26.2 mile annual Bataan Memorial Death March held at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Just this past March, Bruce was deployed to Afghanistan with joint services and was assigned as chief nurse of the Forward Surgical Element in Tarin Kowt. As someone who was always an asset wherever he was, Bruce was considered to be an invaluable member of his unit.

Throughout his life Bruce was a man of many interests and passions. His greatest passion was for his family. No matter what they were doing Bruce loved being with his daughters. One of their favorite things to do together was to go fishing. Over the years Bruce came to depend on his faith to give him the courage he needed when the way before him was difficult. With a love for the outdoors Bruce enjoyed things like hiking and snorkeling, and he was also interested in stained glass.

Through the life he lived each day Captain Bruce Clark taught us so much about what it means to be truly selfless. It was clear that he was a firm believer in the notion that genuine happiness is not found in what we have, but in what we give away. Bruce was a devoted husband and loving father who treasured nothing more than spending a quiet afternoon fishing with his daughters. His legacy of faith, service, and compassion will live on in the lives of all who knew and loved him.

Captain Bruce Kevin Clark died on May 1, 2012. Bruce’s family includes his wife, Susan; two daughters, Camille and Catherine; mother, Lucinda Hallenbeck and the late James Hallenbeck, as well as Bruce and Bev Clark; mother-in-law, Nancy Taber; siblings, Amy (Patrick) Zacharias, Jason (Jessica) Hallenbeck, Justin Hallenbeck, Jamie (John) Hill, Katie (Will) Yoder, Joe (Amber) Clark, and Christal (Nate) Jones; and sisters-in-law, Alexandra (Logan) Newman, Mariana (Gavin) Barry, and Sarah (Bradley) Taber-Thomas; as well as several aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Bruce was preceded in death by his grandparents, Bernard and Harriet Bowman, La Moine and Alice Clark. Bruce’s visitation will be held 1-4 p.m. & 6-9 p.m. on Monday at the funeral home, 15 West Avenue, Spencerport, NY 14559. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday at St. Mary’s Church, 15 St. Mary’s Place, Rochester, NY 14607. Interment in Fairfield Cemetery in Spencerport. Those wishing to send expressions of sympathy please consider the Memorial Fund for his daughters, please send to Susan Orellana-Clark, PO Box 84, Spencerport, NY 14559 in his memory. A Memorial Service will also be held 11:00 a.m. on May 19, 2012, in Addison Middle School in Addison MI. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.