LE MARS, Iowa - Charles R. "Charlie" Clark, 59, of Le Mars passed away unexpectedly Friday, May 22, 2009, in Beatrice, Neb.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at United Methodist Church in Le Mars, with the Rev. Jason Larson officiating. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. today, with the family present 5 to 8 p.m., at Mauer-Johnson Funeral Home in Le Mars. Visitation will resume one hour prior to the service Wednesday at the church. Condolences may be sent to www.mauerjohnsonfh.com online.

Charles Robert Clark was born April 18, 1950, in Spencer, Iowa, to Robert and Erma (Garoutte) Clark. He attended Royal (Iowa) High School, graduating in 1968. He continued his education at Westmar College in Le Mars. He played football for Westmar College and excelled as a running back. He earned a degree in education and used his degree to teach high school industrial arts at Royal. Along with teaching, his interest in sports led him to also coach track, football and junior high basketball. He loved his country and proudly served in the Iowa Army National Guard as a sergeant with Battery A, 1st Battalion 194 Field Artillery.

In 1976, he married Vicki Schoer in Spencer. In 1983, his son Justin was born. He and Justin would forever be best of friends.

Charlie rocked, literally. He was the rockin' drummer for The Senders, a rock and roll band that played in venues across Iowa and the Midwest in the late 1960s and 1970s. His musical talent earned him the respect of musicians and fans. In 2005, he was inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

His skill with motor sports began early. During his college years, he worked at the Phillips 66 Gas Station in Le Mars. After teaching in Royal for four years, he took a position with Arnold Motor Supply in Spencer. In 1978, he built and managed Arnold Motor Supply in Le Mars. Eventually, his love for fabricating and engineering led him to the formation of Bruns Clark Machine in Sioux City in 1982. He later expanded to Le Mars in 1984 with Clark Engineered Machine, where his greatest joy was to dyno the engines he built.

In 1990, he married Charlotte Rupp in Le Mars. Together, they loved and laughed and operated the machine shop. From 2000 to 2005, they ran Harris Racing in Le Mars, building high end race cars and manufacturing exclusive racing products. He engineered many of the racing parts himself.

In addition to fabrication and engineering, he was a champion race car driver. He raced his beloved number 22 car at tracks throughout the Midwest and won dozens of races and trophies. At the end of a race, he would emerge from his car, mud splattered and smiling. After he retired from driving the race car, he took great pride in traveling to race tracks with his customers, where he put his racing experience to work providing on-site expertise and customer support.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Charlotte Clark of Le Mars; his son, Justin Clark and his fiancee, Rachel Ward of Le Mars; an aunt, Doris Garoutte of Chokia, Minn.; and his father-in-law, Floyd Rupp of Sioux City. His faithful companions were his border collie, Lucy; and his granddogs, Zoomer and Daisy.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his grandparents; and his mother-in-law, Delores Rupp.

Charlie lived and died doing what he loved, being surrounded by family and friends and racing cars. Most of all, he loved his wife, son and racing. He was a good man. He will be missed.

Todd and Janet Staley, along with their family and the entire staff of the United States Modified Touring Series, offer our prayers and condolences to the Clark family during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Charlie.