Lawrence J. Clark

Lawrence J. Clark of Albany, NY died peacefully in his sleep on February 4, 2024, at Shaker Place Nursing Center in Colonie. He was 80 years old. Larry is survived by his brother David B. Clark [Deborah] of Colorado Springs, CO, uncle Gene Clarke of TN, and cousin Len Bullington of Tuscalossa, AL.

He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Sheila DeMartino of Maryland, brother-in-law, W. Dennis Duggan [Lenora] of Albany and his closest nieces and nephews; Dennis Hill of Providence Forge, VA, Derek Hill of Astoria, OR, Michael DeMartino of Exeter, NH, Brian Duggan of Albany, NY and Catherine Duggan Kemp of Albany, NY. Larry is also survived by several other cousins. He was predeceased by his parents James W. Clark and Katheryn Bullington Clark of Tuscaloosa AL, and his wife of 40 years, Maureen Duggan of Albany who died February 14, 2021.

Larry was born December 15, 1943, in Sharon, Tennessee. During his childhood, both his parents taught at the University of Alabama, hence his lifelong love for the Crimson Tide. His father was a faculty adviser to the football team and good friends with Albama's famed football coach Bear Bryant. Larry was a graduate of the University of Tennessee and received a Master's in Public Health from the University of Michigan. After graduation he served as a hospital administrator on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His career included many years at the New York State Health Department before he retired from that agency as a bureau director in the public health area.

Larry loved boating, travel and his dogs. Growing up, every summer his father took Larry and his brother on long wilderness camping trips to the Rocky Mountains. He and his wife Maureen continued this tradition of a love for travel. They honeymooned in Portugal and made trips to Costa Rica to visit his brother and wife who were scientists there. They loved camping in the Berkshires with their dogs and took yearly trips to Marco Island, FL.

Larry was a skilled dog handler and their beloved Skye terrier, Lacey, was an international champion. Larry enjoyed golf and, as noted, was an avid follower of the Alabama football team. Larry's strong Scottish roots began with the arrival upon America's shores at Jamestown, VA in 1610 of a multi-generational grandfather, Reverend Richard Bucke. The period just before Bucke's arrival was called the "starvation time" in Jamestown when 80-90% of the original colonists perished. With the arrival of the new settlement leader John Rolfe (who married Pocahontas) and with Bucke's assistance, the tenuous existence of Jamestown was reversed, and the settlement prospered. Celebrating his Scottish roots, Larry was an avid participant in the Scottish Games in Altamont every year He came outfitted in full Highland dress and ornamented with his clan's tartan, sashes, and badges. He wore the traditional sporran pouch with the skene-doo knife tucked into his hose.

A sincere thank you to the staff at Shaker Place Rehab and Nursing Center where Larry received wonderful care. Larry was a person of great generosity and kindness. As a professional public health administrator, he dedicated his life to improving the health of the less fortunate. Our thanks to the Lord for that and for giving Larry to us as a friend and relative for so many years. May God bless Lawrence J. Clark.