LOGAN -- Clark Reed Neilsen, 78, passed away June 6, 2012, after a valiant fight with a rare spinal cord disease.
Reed was born on April 2, 1934, in Mona, Utah, to John Strong Neilsen and Hazel Vest. He was the ninth child in a family of 13 children. His first 18 years were spent in Mona, where he graduated from Juab High School.
In 1952, he moved to Logan to attend Utah State Agricultural College, soon to be renamed Utah State University (Go Aggies!), where he received a BS degree in Agronomy in 1959. He married Joan Kenner on June 20, 1958.
While at USU, Reed enrolled in the Army ROTC. He became a 2nd Lt. in Anti-Aircraft Artillery. He served two years at Fort Bliss, Texas. He resigned his Army commission at the rank of Captain in 1958.
In 1960, he enrolled at the University of Utah and graduated from the College of Pharmacy in 1964.
Reed worked as pharmacy manager from 1964 to 1997 at Walgreens, Skaggs, Osco, Payless, Thrifty Payless and Rite Aid in Logan. In addition, he managed USU Student Health Services Pharmacy until 2010. He loved working with people and knew his customers personally.
Reed was a kind and gentle man. He served in many capacities in the LDS Church and enjoyed his service, especially the time he spent as a worker in the Logan LDS Temple. He was the first bishop of the North Logan 11th ward, beginning in 1995.
His hobbies included horticulture, photography, traveling, cross-country skiing, jazz music and he had a passion for learning. He was an avid sports fan and especially loved watching USU and high school basketball.
Reed and Joan are the parents of John Bryant (Renee, North Logan) Neilsen; Jennifer (Alan) Clark, Draper; LeAnn Dixon, Pocatello; and Kim (Kirk) Hillyard, Hyde Park. They have 12 grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his son Bryant, who he had a special bond with, and siblings John (Jack) Merrill Neilsen and Mary Neilsen Styler.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 11, at 11 a.m. at the North Logan 11th Ward church house, 1550 East 1900 North, with Bishop Todd Reese conducting. Friends may call at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 East Center Street, on Sunday evening from 5 to 7pm and at the church house on monday morning from 9:30 to 10:30am. Burial will be in the Logan Cemetery.
Special thanks to Dr. Dana DeWitt and the staff at the U of U Medical Center and the outstanding employees at Sunshine Terrace Rehab Wing 6, who all treated him like family.
Online condolences may be extended to the family by visiting wwwallenmortuaries.net