Michael Donald Clark, age 72, of Whitmore Lake (formerly of Addison), passed away Thursday morning, August 14th, 2025, with his loving wife Judy by his side and under the outstanding care of the University of Michigan Hospital palliative care team.
Mike was born on July 13th, 1953, in Wayne County to his parents Donald & Dorothy Clark, the oldest of their five children. He graduated from Garden City East High School in 1971 and went on to own Mr. Jim’s Pizza Shop in Westland (and Canton), which is how he met his future wife, Judy Rickel. They were married on December 11th, 1987, at First Congregational Church in Wayne by Judy’s mother, who was a pastor there. They went on to abandon the city life they’d always known, moving to Addison in pursuit of Judy’s dream farmstead later on that year. There they raised two daughters together, the first born in 1993 and the second in 1998, and they created countless memories there. They eventually sold the house in 2021 after more than thirty years there and moved to the family cottage in Whitmore Lake.
After the ownership of the pizza parlor Mike had a career in and tool and die, but he decided on a total career change in his forties. He obtained his RN from Jackson Community College in 1995, and he went on to work as a nurse for Hillsdale Hospital for two decades before his retirement.
Mike took great pleasure in being a clown, always lightening every situation with a wide variety of ridiculous songs, dances, and jokes. He was never a man of very many serious words, but he was always a stable presence, and he was there to offer anything he had when anyone needed him. He was a man of strong principles and Christian faith, and that reflected in all that he did.
Mike was a man of simple pleasures, and in his free time he enjoyed playing the guitar (his favorite pastime since he was 8), music, boating, fishing, spending time outdoors, watching a variety of TV shows (he was a sucker for a good Sasquatch documentary), spending time with his family and his grand-dogs and grand-cats, and taking a good nap with his cat, Gizmo.
In addition to his wife of nearly 38 years, Judy, Mike is survived by his daughters, Elise (Coty Raymond) & Emily (Damon Sutton), one sister, Karen (Mike) Wildt, a sister-in-law, Cathy Clark, a brother-in-law, John Fisher, and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his close friend Robert (Donna) Domm. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Diane (John) Fisher, two brothers, Ronald Clark and Dale (Cathy) Clark, a nephew, David Fisher, and a niece, Emma Fisher in infancy, along with another close friend Rick (Diane) Moses.
Cremation has taken place, and a private celebration of life will be held at a later date.