Obituary: Dr. Thomas H. Clark, 1944-2024 (2024)

Dr.Thomas H. Clark, age 80, of Colchester, Vt., passed away on June 18,2024, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after a monthlongstruggle to overcome complications from infections after open-heartsurgery. His wife, Anni Kristensen, was by his side every day throughthe month and held him in her arms as he took his last breath. Healso was attended by his sister Virginia “Gini” Dutcher andnephew, Mickey Dutcher. During his long stay, several beloved familymembers came to visit.

Tom,born in Glens Falls, N.Y., on July 16, 1944, was the son of the lateHarold K. and Margaret (de Ste. Guay) Clark, also of Glens Falls. Hewas the youngest of four siblings and the only boy. In addition tohis sister Gini, his other siblings were the late Barbara Carter ofSouth Burlington, Vt., and the late Elizabeth “Liz” Healy ofGlens Falls.

Whenhe was a Little League player, it was discovered that Tom had acongenital heart defect, and at age 14, in 1958, he underwent hisfirst and, at that time, experimental open-heart surgery at AlbanyMedical Center in New York.

Tomgraduated from Glens Falls High School in 1962. After a year atAdirondack Community College, he went on to get his doctor ofoptometry degree, graduating as then the youngest person in hisclass, at the age of 24, from New England College of Optometry inBoston. After getting his degree in 1968, he was drafted into theU.S. Army as a captain. While in the Army, he was stationed at FortSam Houston Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Afterfinishing his Army service, he returned to Burlington, Vt., andopened his first optometry office, on Pearl Street. His office moveda couple of times to South Burlington and Burlington, but Tom was athis optometry office in Blair Park in Williston for more than 25years. Many of his patients followed him throughout his 54-year-longcareer. He enjoyed seeing his patients year after year and continuingthe conversation they had started on day one of meeting them. Thefeeling was mutual, and many personal stories and anecdotes and jokeswere shared along with a thorough eye exam.

Notonly was Tom a gifted optometrist, he was also a consummate lifelonglearner. Among the highlights of his career was providing innovativevisual training to race car drivers, including Michael Andretti. Healso worked with minor league players of the Burlington LakeMonsters, then an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

Hedeveloped and received patents for two progressive lens-measuringtools. This required learning how to create devices electronicallyand printing them on his 3D printer. In his early ’70s, he decidedto learn how to play violin when one made by his great-great-unclewas gifted to him. At 78, Tom decided that he would learn how torepair pocket watches. Throughout his life he was an avidfly-fisherman and especially loved to take friends fishing forsteelhead trout on the Salmon River in Pulaski, N.Y., or gofly-fishing for tarpon in Florida with his “boys” from Denmark.During his first trip to Denmark in 1992, Anni took him to a fishingstore known as the best in Denmark. Tom quickly became friends withthe manager, which led to Tom meeting three other avid fly-fishermenwho traveled to the U.S. several times to go fishing with Tom.

Whenhe wasn’t fishing, he most likely was building something — bamboofly rods, classic wooden canoes with hand-carved paddles to match, arowboat for his sister Gini, a secret liquor cabinet for his Danishmother-in-law's senior apartment.

Tomtalked to people and made friends everywhere he went. When thepandemic sent us all home for a couple of months, Tom suggested tosix of his high school buddies from Glens Falls, who lived elsewherein New York State, New Hampshire, Virginia and South Carolina, thatthey meet via Zoom. They all agreed, and on a Wednesday at 2 p.m. inlate March 2020, they gathered in front of their computers. Thistradition has continued every Wednesday for the four years since.

Tomhad an endless supply of jokes and always was sharing them withanybody close enough to hear. His sense of humor and fun were whatdrew people to him. Everybody who knew him has a funny story to tellabout how he joked with them and made them laugh.

Hewas a compassionate and kind person who will be sorely missed by allthe people who loved him. Though his energy diminished over theyears, his enthusiasm for life never did. Even as he lay strugglingin the ICU, he endeared himself to the nurses when he smiled at themor reached for their hand or rolled his eyes.

Tomis survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Anni Kristensen;sister Virginia Dutcher and brother-in-law William Dutcher; andnumerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends near and far. A memorialservice will take place on Saturday June 29, 2 p.m., at Mountain ViewChapel, 68 Pinecrest Dr., Essex Junction, VT. A special thank-yougoes out to Dr. Antonia Kreso, the staff and all the nurses at Blake8 ICU for their professional, respectful, kind and compassionatecare.

Arrangementshave been entrusted to the care of Ready Funeral & CreationService, Mountain View Chapel, 68 Pinecrest Dr., Essex Junction, VT.To send online condolences to the family, please visitreadyfuneral.com.