George Mason Clark, resident of the Douglas lakeshore since 1936 and also of Vernon Hills, Ill., died Wednesday June 15, 2016, after a short illness. He was 93.
He was born in Brookline, Mass., grew up in Urbana, Ill., and spent the greater part of his adult life in Columbus, Ohio, where he worked both as a practicing architect and as a well-loved full professor of architecture at Ohio State University.
He attended DePauw University and was a graduate of the University of Illinois with a Master's Degree in Architectural Engineering. He was a professional member of AIA.
He served with the United States Navy in World War II with the Third Fleet aboard the USS Nashville and the USS Phoenix in the South Pacific.
He loved spending time with his extended family and many lakeshore friends, walking the beach, sailing, tossing horseshoes or just engaging in good conversation. He was active with the Douglas Lakeshore Association. He loved refurbishing and restoring lakeshore homes; George also volunteered with Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society to record and preserve the history of the Michigan Cottage. He also generously donated his time and skills to Trinity Episcopal Church, Columbus and to St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, Libertyville, Ill. as they restored and remodeled their facilities.
He was a diehard Cubs fan, always hopefully waiting for "next year."
His wife of 69 years, Jean Flanigan Clark, predeceased him in 2013.
He is survived by his sister, Carolyn Clark Richards, of Novi; two daughters, Elizabeth (Betsy) Clark Swank (Ralph) of Vernon Hills, Ill., and Mary (Molly) Clark Siebert (David) of Grayslake, Ill.; four grandchildren, Elizabeth (Lisa) Swank Bako (Tom) and Sarah Swank Mullen (Brian) both of Grayslake, Ill., David Siebert, MD of Seattle and Mark Siebert of Fairfax, Va. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren, Matthew and Elizabeth Bako and Abigail, Sean and Kate Mullen.
Services will be Saturday, July 2, at St. Lawrence Episcopal Church in Libertyville, Ill. Visitation is at 10 a.m. and services at 11 a.m., with interment following in the church columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed in his name at either St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, Libertyville Ill. or at the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society.
.