Maynard Sherwood Clark

Maynard, or Buster, as his family and friends knew him, passed away on September 15, 2021, after a short illness at Park Place Nursing Home in Great Falls. He was 85. Buster was born on July 6, 1936, in Millis, Massachusetts to Lena and George Clark. He was the youngest of 5, joining siblings Nesbit, Pauline, Wallace, and John on the Clark family dairy farm. From an early age, he was expected to help milk cows, shovel manure, feed chickens, pick apples in the orchards, and still get to school on time!Whenever possible though, he was sneaking off to shoot guns, explore the woods, hunt, fish, and in general confound his parents. Upon high school graduation in 1954, his dad handed him a suitcase and fifty dollars and said, “Massachusetts isn’t big enough for both of us, and I was here first!”He meandered across the United States and eventually decided that Montana seemed like a great place to put down roots. He met his first wife, Norma “Nonie” Mee while working in Highwood. They married in 1957, traveled around a bit chasing odd jobs, then settled in Great Falls where Buster started a 33-year-long career with the United States Post Office. Buster and Nonie had 3 children, then later divorced after 24 years of marriage. In 1981, Buster married Barbara McKerrow. Barbara came to the marriage with 4 children who he welcomed into his home like they were his own. After Buster retired from the Post Office, he and Barbara moved to Valier, Montana where they resided until moving back to Great Falls in 2020. During his retirement he held many jobs in the Valier area, janitor, fuel truck driver, loading fire planes, and driving grain truck just to keep busy. Buster valued hard work, honesty, and self-sufficiency. Work hard and play harder was a common theme in the Clark house. He was an avid snowmobiler and raced for both Polaris and John Deere. He played softball, was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Great Falls, and enjoyed motorcycle rides on his Honda Gold Wing. Hunting was a great passion of his and one season he was lucky enough to take a cow elk near Utica that was bigger than his Subaru Brat.He spent many winters in Valier ice fishing on Lake Francis with his friends and family. Once while out on the lake in a car, he and a few friends broke though the ice. Everyone made it out, wet and cold, but Buster was the lucky one that rode that car to the bottom of the lake. Even after a scare like that, he was still willing get out and fish on frozen water!He had an affinity for Corvair cars, and his garage and driveway were often filled with cars in various stages of restoration. Later in life he took on gentler pursuits like camping with his family and reading. Buster had a soft spot for dogs and his entire adult life he had something four legged and hairy following him around. Phoebe, Muffin, Pepsi, Lucy, Samantha, and Bandit all held a special place in his heart. Buster is survived by his wife, Barbara of Great Falls; brother, John (Vonnie) Clark of Medway, Massachusetts; children from his marriage to Nonie, Colleen Surratt, Kimberly Lux, and Kenneth Clark; children from his marriage to Barbara, Naomi Mitchell, Chad Kujala, Jerry Kujala, and Laurina Smith; 14 grandchildren; and 7 great-grandchildren. A private family memorial will be held at a later date.