Wayne Nelson Clark

Wayne was born in Grand Rapids, MI July 2, 1933 to Harry and Lola Clark (Penrod). He was raised mostly in Northern and Western Michigan on farms and with foster families. He married the love of his life, Ramona (Fransz), April 1, 1960. Their only child, a daughter, was born May 15, 1962. They named her Joanna Jean and he called her “JoJe” for short. He was a very good “girl dad” and grandpa - his four grandchildren are all girls too.

Wayne made friends with anyone he met. If you stayed long enough for him to tell one of his many stories, you were a friend for life, and he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. His sense of humor was unrivaled in the family; he loved teasing anyone and everyone, not even strangers were safe. When he laughed, his eyes twinkled and you could tell he was having the time of his life.

The majority of Wayne’s career was spent in maintenance and quality control work for several companies. He retired from Kelvinator in the 90s but worked well into his retirement years at Davis Dental Lab, where he had many close co-workers. Prior to working in maintenance, he worked as a short order cook at the Butter Wagon Restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI. The Butter Wagon was where his love of cooking began. He prided himself in his cooking skills and enjoyed recreating traditional Indonesian and Dutch dishes for his family. Some of those dishes still live on through his granddaughters. He was “famous” for his spaghetti and his fried rice.

A passion for Wayne and his wife Ramona was travel. They especially loved the many cruises they took together. Ramona was from Indonesia and a trip of a lifetime for Wayne was when they were able to return to her home country for a visit. An annual family camping trip to Interlochen State Park was a highlight of his (and his granddaughter’s) life every summer. He was also adventurous! A few good memories are of Wayne climbing a waterfall with some of his granddaughters in Jamaica and cruising down a waterslide with some of his great-grandsons at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. In addition to travel, Wayne and Ramona loved to spoil their grandchildren, golf and bowl together, and cook together.

The joys of his life were his granddaughters and great-grandchildren. He was so proud of all of their work and school accomplishments and wanted all of them to know how much he loved them and how proud he was. He was a rock of support to his family over many years. All of us knew and loved him as Opa.

Opa lived independently in an apartment after his wife died until June of 2023 and made many friends at Pine Oak Apartments in Wyoming, MI. His final months were spent at The Laurels of Sandy Creek in Wayland, MI where he loved every nurse and caregiver who took care of him as well as his roommate, Butch. This love was returned by the caring staff at the Laurels. His family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation for the care that Opa received from this facility in his final months and for the friendship of his roommate, Butch. His family would also like to thank Interim Hospice who were so kind and loving to Opa and his family during this difficult time.

Wayne leaves behind a grieving family who will miss him so much. His surviving family members include granddaughters Chrysalis (Vincent) Ashton, Cinnamon (Jared) LaBay, Chandra Barth, and Cheyanne Barth, and nine great-grandchildren Zavier, Quintin, Jacob, Archer, Lucas, Payton, Lily, Sullivan, and Ramona. He also leaves behind many friends and former co-workers.

Opa’s wishes were to be directly cremated. There will be a memorial gathering from 5-7 p.m. Friday, January 12, 2024 at Kubiak-Cook Funeral Home, 312 N. Main St., Wayland, MI 49348. The family welcomes memories and messages at www.kubiakcookwayland.com in their guest book online.