Donwell Joseph Clark

Donwell Clark
Donwell Joseph Clark, 73, of Poplar Bluff a crime scene investigator, died at 11:34 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, 2006, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center from complications of lung cancer. He had been in poor health for eight months.
Mr. Clark was born June 13, 1933, in St. Louis. He began his law enforcement career, which spanned more than five decades, on June 6, 1951, as a full-time clerk at the Central District Police Station in St. Louis. He was 16 years old and still in high school at the time. About two years later, Mr. Clark transferred to the radio room where he was a teletype operator and radio dispatcher. He held that position until 1956 when he was drafted in the U.S. Marine Corps. While in the military, Mr. Clark was a brig guard at Camp Pendleton in Twenty-nine Palm, Calif. Upon his discharge from the Marine Corps, Mr. Clark returned to work at the police department and went to the police academy in St. Louis County. He subsequently worked in St. Louis County as a patrolman walking the beat. Mr. Clark worked his way up through the ranks becoming a detective assigned to the major case squad in St. Louis County, a position he held for six years. In 1966, Mr. Clark became police chief in Hazelwood in St. Louis County. He would later serve as police chief in Union and Rolla. In July 1976, he joined the Poplar Bluff Police Department as a detective. Upon his retirement there in November 1995, Mr. Clark went to work for the Butler County Sheriffs Department as its evidence technician. A member of the International Association for Identification and the American Board of Forensic Examiners, Mr. Clark was a board-certified crime scene examiner and crime scene analyst. He also was a certified fire crime scene investigator and a fire crime scene instructor. Mr. Clark was named Officer of the Year in 1997, and the Poplar Bluff Elks Lodge selected him as its Officer of the Year in 2004. In March, he received a citation from the Butler County Sheriffs Department and Poplar Bluff Police Department in recognition of his 54 years in law enforcement. He attended Fellowship General Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff.
On Jan. 21, 1967, he married Shirley Eichelberger at Poplar Bluff. She survives.
Also surviving are two children, Joe Clark of St. Louis and Amy Sanders and her husband, Mark, of Poplar Bluff; six grandchildren, Lydia Sanders, Tori Sanders, Hannah Sanders, Paul Donwell Sanders, Scott Sanders and Chloe Sanders; one brother, Noel T. Clark and wife, Helen, of St. Louis; four nieces and nephews, Tim Clark, Joann Cuevas, Jody Schieferle and her husband, Mark, and Charles V. Whiteley Jr. and his wife, Ava; six great-nieces and great-nephews, Lisa Fisher, David Schieferle, Jani Whiteley, Charles V. Whiteley III, Cole Cuevas and Caroline Cuevas and on sister-in-law, Ruth Hampton and her husband, Sodie.
Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Bryon Beck officiating and the Rev. Amos Dees assisting. Burial, with military rites, will be at Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
The family requests memorials be made to Donwell Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund at Three Rivers Community College, in care of the TRCC Foundation, 2080 Three Rivers Blvd., Poplar Bluff; Mo., 63901. Scholarships will be awarded to students majoring in law enforcement related areas. Donwell Joseph Clark, 73, of Poplar Bluff a crime scene investigator, died at 11:34 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, 2006, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center from complications of lung cancer. He had been in poor health for eight months.
Mr. Clark was born June 13, 1933, in St. Louis. He began his law enforcement career, which spanned more than five decades, on June 6, 1951, as a full-time clerk at the Central District Police Station in St. Louis. He was 16 years old and still in high school at the time. About two years later, Mr. Clark transferred to the radio room where he was a teletype operator and radio dispatcher. He held that position until 1956 when he was drafted in the U.S. Marine Corps. While in the military, Mr. Clark was a brig guard at Camp Pendleton in Twenty-nine Palm, Calif. Upon his discharge from the Marine Corps, Mr. Clark returned to work at the police department and went to the police academy in St. Louis County. He subsequently worked in St. Louis County as a patrolman walking the beat. Mr. Clark worked his way up through the ranks becoming a detective assigned to the major case squad in St. Louis County, a position he held for six years. In 1966, Mr. Clark became police chief in Hazelwood in St. Louis County. He would later serve as police chief in Union and Rolla. In July 1976, he joined the Poplar Bluff Police Department as a detective. Upon his retirement there in November 1995, Mr. Clark went to work for the Butler County Sheriffs Department as its evidence technician. A member of the International Association for Identification and the American Board of Forensic Examiners, Mr. Clark was a board-certified crime scene examiner and crime scene analyst. He also was a certified fire crime scene investigator and a fire crime scene instructor. Mr. Clark was named Officer of the Year in 1997, and the Poplar Bluff Elks Lodge selected him as its Officer of the Year in 2004. In March, he received a citation from the Butler County Sheriffs Department and Poplar Bluff Police Department in recognition of his 54 years in law enforcement. He attended Fellowship General Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff.
On Jan. 21, 1967, he married Shirley Eichelberger at Poplar Bluff. She survives.
Also surviving are two children, Joe Clark of St. Louis and Amy Sanders and her husband, Mark, of Poplar Bluff; six grandchildren, Lydia Sanders, Tori Sanders, Hannah Sanders, Paul Donwell Sanders, Scott Sanders and Chloe Sanders; one brother, Noel T. Clark and wife, Helen, of St. Louis; four nieces and nephews, Tim Clark, Joann Cuevas, Jody Schieferle and her husband, Mark, and Charles V. Whiteley Jr. and his wife, Ava; six great-nieces and great-nephews, Lisa Fisher, David Schieferle, Jani Whiteley, Charles V. Whiteley III, Cole Cuevas and Caroline Cuevas and on sister-in-law, Ruth Hampton and her husband, Sodie.
Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Bryon Beck officiating and the Rev. Amos Dees assisting. Burial, with military rites, will be at Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
The family requests memorials be made to Donwell Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund at Three Rivers Community College, in care of the TRCC Foundation, 2080 Three Rivers Blvd., Poplar Bluff; Mo., 63901. Scholarships will be awarded to students majoring in law enforcement related areas.