Donald V. Clark Memorial Highway dedication ceremony

BOARDMAN

A few sentences were all that was needed to encapsulate for those who knew and loved him the essence of the late Army Chief Warrant Officer Donald V. Clark.

“Don was always ready when needed, and ready to do what needed to be done,” said his father, Donald Clark Sr. of Boardman. “Our family is blessed by his light.”

After graduating from Boardman High School in 1989, the younger Clark served two years in the Navy, part of which was spent as an electrical technician on a submarine. About 18 months after having received an honorable discharge, Clark enlisted in the Army, which included a tour of duty in Iraq.

On Nov. 15, 2008, Clark was killed in action near Mosul, Iraq. He was 37.

For his service to and sacrifices for the nation, he was honored during Monday afternoon’s Donald V. Clark Memorial Highway Dedication ceremony in the Boardman Township Administration Building.

The event also was on what would have been Clark’s 45th birthday.

A two-mile stretch of Market Street (state Route 7) from U.S. Route 224 to just north of Western Reserve Road was renamed in the fallen soldier’s honor.