CORNWALL — Larry Clark, aged 91, died peacefully at home, Nov. 22, with family.

He was a lifelong resident of Cornwall, living in the house he grew up in until recently, when he moved in with his brother and sister-in-law, Dick and Mary Clark in Shoreham.

He was born Feb. 20, 1934, at Porter Hospital in Middlebury. His father, Chase, trekked through the snow on snowshoes from their farm on Clark Road to see if he had a son or daughter. He passed Stuart Witherell on the way back and told him “It’s a boy!”

Larry went to No. 5 Cornwall School on South Bingham Street for seven years, then to No. 3 Cornwall School, and to Middlebury High School, either walking from Cornwall or riding on Bertrand’s Bus.

He worked on the family farm for two years, then joined the U.S. Army in 1958, and was in Germany for 14 months. Larry was a gifted mechanic, and enjoyed fixing engines, so his work at Foster Motors was interesting and fulfilling. He worked there for 31 years, including starting and running “Women On Wheels,” a program to bring more women into the business.

He married Margaret “Peg” Swinton, Feb. 10, 1968. They were members of the Cornwall Snowmobile Club, riding together, each on their own Ski-Doo. Larry had a camp at Lake Hortonia — he and Peg waterskied there and on Lake Champlain in the summers.

When he retired, he started his own business of repairing lawnmowers at his house, which was perfect for him. He was surrounded by his own tractors, lawnmowers, mini-bikes, and snowmobiles, with people bringing him new mechanical challenges daily! He was a collector of many things, including old bottles, tractor seats and magazines, guns, tools, farm equipment catalogs — whatever caught his eye, and was cheap!

Larry enjoyed history and was a member of the Cornwall Historical Society and the Crown Point Road Association. He helped with the start of Cornwall Fire Department and was Fire Warden for many years. He was also a familiar figure at Addison County Fair and Field Days every August at the Antique Equipment Barn and was happy to share his knowledge about the old one-lunger engines, farm implements, and tractors. He had an old Maytag washing machine, which he brought to Field Days.

He liked people, despite being shy, and had a good sense of humor. Various Middlebury College students visited him as part of the Community Connections program. Kai was from China, and they sat on his porch and discussed the differences between the countries and culture. He had Meals on Wheels for many years and liked meeting new people. After Peg died in 2011, he lived alone with his beloved black cat, Babe, who also predeceased him.

Larry was predeceased by his parents, Chase and Evelyn Bristol Clark, as well as his sister, Janet Clark Clark (that’s not a typo – she married Erwin “Red” Clark from Addison.)

He is survived by his brother, Richard, (Mary Bean Richmond), numerous nieces, nephews, as well as great-nieces and nephews, and five of Peg’s sisters.

There will be a celebration of life at the Cornwall Town Hall on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m., with luncheon afterwards to share stories. ◊