John Clarke Obituary

John Palmore Clarke MT. PLEASANT - John Palmore Clarke of Virginia Beach, VA, and Mt. Pleasant, SC, passed away on March 2, 2024. John was born in Nashville, TN, on August 6, 1935, to the late Mary Lucenia Cate Clarke and Alfred Brackette Clarke, the second of their four children. The son of a Methodist minister, John moved frequently throughout Virginia as a child, but landed in Norfolk as a teenager and graduated from Maury High School, where he was a captain of the football team. He developed a love of boating and the sea in those years that would remain with him for the rest of his life. John went to Randolph-Macon College, where he majored in English, played football, and sang bass in the Randolph-Macon Glee Club. He met the love of his life, Joyce Gwaltney, singing in a summer outdoor theatre production - The Common Glory - in Williamsburg in the summer of 1954. He finished college in three years and started medical school at the Medical College of Virginia (VCU) in Richmond. Joyce and John married in 1957 and enjoyed a devoted partnership until her death in 2019. John's commitment to his Christian faith, his family, and his profession guided him in his very full life. He believed in the supreme value of character and in the inherent value of every human life. He was interested in everyone and everything, and those who met him learned this quickly. John's vascular and cardiothoracic surgical training included Johns Hopkins, Otis Airforce Base (Captain, medical corps), the University of Virginia, and the Medical College of South Carolina (MUSC). The family moved to Virginia Beach in 1968 to begin John's 32-year career in private practice with Virginia Beach Surgery. John treasured his patients, his long-time staff, and the medical community. His surgical career was a vehicle for a life spent in service to others. He was committed to bringing expanded medical services to the growing community and to Va Beach General Hospital and served in a leadership role for many projects. John served as President of the Medical Staff at VBGH, President of the Va Beach Medical Society, President of the Va Surgical Society, President of the Hampton Roads Physician Organization, Chairman of the Board of the Va Beach Ambulatory Surgery Center and was on the Board of Directors for Sentara Healthcare. He served as Assistant Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and at Eastern Va Medical School on the Admissions Committee. John was passionate about mentoring and educating young (and aspiring) physicians. John was a devoted, active member of Virginia Beach United Methodist Church, singing in the Charles Wesley Choir and serving in many leadership positions, both in the church and in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. John was an ardent, proud supporter of Joyce's musical career, and he remained a committed patron of musical arts throughout his life. He loved to travel, and he loved to be on the water. He took his family on many wonderful vacations, including sailing trips up and down the Chesapeake Bay in his beloved sloop, Scimitar. John was never deterred by small craft advisories and took them as an opportunity to hone his family's skills! He was a proud grandfather, a windsurfer, an avid history buff, a great story-teller, a lover of the natural world, a woodworker, a boat and car enthusiast, and a skilled handyman. He could make or fix absolutely anything! After his retirement in 2000, he served on the Board of Trustees at Randolph-Macon College. He treasured his experiences on a medical mission trip to Maua in Kenya, where he spent two months operating under extreme conditions with very limited resources. Joyce and John traveled extensively and enjoyed cruising in their trawler, Sea Larke, up and down the east coast from Canada to Florida, visiting family and friends along the way. They were avid UVA basketball fans and spent many happy times attending games in Charlottesville, as well as following the team to tournaments near and far. John's generous spirit and kind heart will be missed by all who knew him. John is predeceased in death by his wife, Joyce Gwaltney Clarke; and his sister, Margaret Bonnie Clarke Rice. He is survived by his three children: Daughter and son-in-law, Joye and Jim Wells of Mt. Pleasant; Son and daughter-in-law, James (Brack) and Dana Clarke of Jacksonville, FL; Daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and John (Hal) Helmers of Louisville, KY; Grandchildren, Melanie Wells Miller (Gus Miller); Jared Wells (Marley Yates); Caroline and Leigh Henry; Tyler, Alyssa and Cami Cliburn; Jack and Henry Helmers; Sisters Mary Lou Carter and Frances Clarke; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held at the Rodenberg Chapel at Franke at Seaside on Monday, March 18th, at 1:00 in the afternoon. The family will receive visitors afterward at the Burges Center across the street. Inurnment and memorial service to be held at Virginia Beach United Methodist Church on April 12th at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Va Beach United Methodist Church - Joyce Clarke Music Fund or to Hibben United Methodist Church - Music Ministry.