February 28, 1953 - January 14, 2024

David Bruce Clark, DC, DABCI, NMD died Sunday, January 14, 2024 of heart failure.

David was born on February 28, 1953 to Mary Louise Jamison and James Bruce Clark of Twilight, PA.  He exhibited a natural precociousness at a very young age, and after having him tested, they were told by the psychologist, “good luck.”  At the age of five, he started first grade.  When, at the age of six, his sister was born, he dedicated himself to being the best big brother possible, relentlessly teasing her for the rest of his life.  One of his favorite childhood games was Buck-buck, a very physical rendition of leap frog. Being bigger and stronger than most of the other boys, his father advised him to always be gentle with others.  This was a lesson he would use all his life.

Having inherited his parents’ ambition, he started work at a young age, selling seeds door-to-door.  He moved on to paperboy for the Valley Independent in Monessen PA, chopped onions in a restaurant (a skill his wife took advantage of regularly many years later), delivered bread, worked in a psychiatric ward for adolescents, and eventually became a chiropractor. 

It was through his job with the newspaper that he was nominated for a scholarship to Salisbury School, a boarding school in Connecticut.  His two years there greatly influenced his life, and he loved to share stories of those years.  He was offered full-ride scholarships to both Johns Hopkins and Penn State to study medicine.  Instead, he chose to be among the first class of men to attend Vassar in Poughkeepsie NY, because Salisbury was an all-boys school. 

Having suffered migraines throughout his teens and getting no relief from modern medicine, he turned to a naturopathic chiropractor, who was able to heal him.  It was then that he decided that was the professional path he would take.  He received his degree from Palmer College and took his first job in a small Iowa town.  The town doctor drafted him into helping with oncall patients, and it was there that he was schooled in how to be a country doctor.  In the late 70s, he moved to Missouri and slowly began to build his practice.  Always eager to learn, it was during this time that he earned his Doctor or Naturopathic Medicine from John Thomas College of Naturopathic Medicine, and a Diplomate in Chiropractic Internist from The American Board of Chiropractic Internists.

Being a naturopathic doctor, he attracted local Amish patients, and gradually the news spread about this kind, gentle doctor who treated his patients with honesty and dignity.  Over the next 45 years, the practice grew in size and popularity.  Patients from across the United States as well as Central and South America traveled to the small town of Oak Grove, MO to see Dr. Clark. By 2019 the clinic building had doubled in size in order to accommodate patients.  A playground was built which included a pirate ship for kids (and even some adults) to climb and play, a picnic pavilion, shuffleboard and horse shoe pit.  On a sunny day, it was not unusual to see Amish taking advantage of the facility.  David once said he felt like the clinic was the Amish Disney World, as it wasn’t unusual for patients to stay for two to three weeks for treatments.

In his mid-50s, David decided to try online dating in the hope of finding a suitable woman with whom he could share his life.  He was surprised when he reached out to a woman named Judy and she replied.  Thus started a courtship that delighted both of them, even though he was a northern boy and she was a southern girl.  He wooed her with his words, and she kept him on his toes.  They eventually met in person, and the rest is the stuff of romance novels.  They enjoyed books, movies, antiques, art, and Judy’s cooking.  They spent hours in conversation about everything, and enjoyed the absurdities of life.  Finally, after 13 years, he handed her a ring box, and in his inimitably romantic way asked, “so do you want to get married, or what?”  Of course, Judy said yes, as it was all part of her 500 year plan (according to him).

David is survived by his wife, Judy Dirmann Clark; his sister, Stephanie Clark DiLeo and brother-in-law, Vincent DiLeo; many cousins; father-in-law, Raymond Dirmann; sisters-in-law, Lynn Dirmann and Janice Krantz, and brother-in-law Mike Krantz; nephews, Michael and Raymond Krantz (Maggie) and great-nieces Millicent (who he taught to stick a coin to her forehead) and Eleanor; and his dedicated clinic staff who will continue his healthcare legacy.

David Bruce Clark was brilliant, honest, generous, considerate, spiritual, funny, and most importantly, kind.  A memorial service will be planned for the Spring.

Donations may be made to the American Heart Association.  David would have also asked that you be kind to someone every day.