William Ernest ClarkLenoir City, TNWilliam Ernest "Bill" Clark of Lenoir City, TN, Captain, United States Navy, Retired, passed away at the age of 92 years on May 28, 2017 at home surrounded by his family. He was born on December 4, 1924 in Lenoir City, the son of Charles H. Clark, Sr. and Minnie (Cardwell) Clark and the brother of five siblings. He was preceded in death by sisters, Eileen Norris and Addie Ruth Clarke and brothers, Charles H. Clark, Jr. and Dr. Curtis V. Clark. He married Margaret Ann (Hawk) Clark, also of Lenoir City, in London, England, on May 1, 1951, following a whirlwind courtship. Captain Clark was the father of three children, Ann K. Stout of Phoenix, AZ, Amy C. Garnjost of Lenoir City, and William F. W. Clark of Finksburg, MD. He was the grandfather of Emma K. Clark and Caroline A. Clark, also of Finksburg, MD. He is also survived by a brother, Paul C. Clark, who resides in Rogersville, TN.Young Bill was the salutatorian of Lenoir City High School's class of 1942 and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. While an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, prior to his transfer to the Naval Academy, he was described by his professor as the most gifted student of the Japanese language in his class at the university. His academic prowess also garnered an offer of admission to Harvard University which he turned down in order to pursue a distinguished Naval career. Following his graduation from the Naval Academy, he earned his master's degrees in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Pittsburg and in Computer Systems Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. His Naval career, which took Captain Clark and his family to points across the globe and the United States, included service as the commander of Mine Division 42 and the USS Epping Forest, which was mine countermeasures ship providing assistance for the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. Other tours of duty included London, England, Seoul, South Korea, Naples, Italy and Sasebo, Japan. He also held leadership positions at the Pentagon and the Navy's Bureau of Personnel, from which he retired in 1974 at the rank of Captain.Following retirement from the Navy, Bill began a successful second career as Manager of Security and Standards for Management information Services at Air Products and Chemicals in Allentown, PA., where he was much admired for his sound decision making and levelheaded demeanor. At that time, as a resident of Wescosville, PA., he became increasingly active in his local church, Bethany United Methodist, and remained a regular church-goer for as long as his health permitted after he and his wife moved back to Lenoir City in 1992.An avid reader with an encyclopedic knowledge of history, Bill also read widely in science, art, culture and current events, which he discussed with relish in his later years. His keen intellect was matched by an intense sense of duty towards his family and relatives. His conscientious assistance to his siblings in their declining years made a lasting impression upon those that knew him. After having grown up in the Great Depression, Bill had a strong interest in assisting the less fortunate, which animated his thoughts and actions. He manifested a sincere concern for others even in to the final weeks of his life, and to the very end maintained a strong work ethic and an orderly, considered approach to all that he did, setting an excellent example for those whom he has left behind. Captain Clark will be interred at the United States Naval Academy Columbarium in Annapolis, MD. At a future date. His family requests that any charitable contributions in his memory be given to Trinity United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 606, Lenoir City, TN 37771 or to the U. S. Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue N. W., Washington, DC 2004-2608.Click Funeral Home, Lenoir City is in charge of arrangements. www.clickfuneralhome.com