William Lark

William Lark¹

• Reference: [38170:K]

Vitals

• Birth*: Ca. 1943.²
• Death*: Dec 1994, South of Craig, Holt Co, MO.²

Events

• Obituary*: Of William Lark, 19 Feb 2003, St. Joseph News-Press, St. Joseph, Buchanan Co, MO, LOCAL NEWS
  
  
  Print this Article
  Email this Article
  
  
  Wednesday, February 19, 2003
  
  Memory of deputy stays alive
  
  By LINDSEY V. COREY
  [email protected]
  
  
  Kristin Scroggins still fights the tears and embraces the memories.
  
  It’s been eight years since her father was killed on the icy interstate.
  
  “As time goes by, you worry that people have forgotten,” she said. “That’s why it’s so amazing that people he touched — strangers to us — are still out there dedicated to keeping his memory alive.”
  
  More than 300 Holt County residents have signed petitions in support of naming a section of Interstate 29 in William Lark’s honor.
  
  Mr. Lark, chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Department, was helping motorists just south of the Craig, Mo., exit when his patrol car was hit head-on by a truck that lost control in December 1994. He was 51.
  
  “The shock liked to have killed us all,” said Jody French, a family friend and dispatcher at the time. “He was a good deputy, a good man and a good friend. You couldn’t ask for any better.
  
  “And that’s why this should’ve been done a long time ago. I just think everyone was in too much shock to think of it then.”
  
  But Linda Stovall thought of it now.
  
  She’d met the quiet deputy and farmer not long after she moved to the area, about a year before his death.
  
  “I want to make people aware of what a wonderful way this is to keep him in our hearts and in our minds,” Ms. Stovall said. “Bill was one of those special people that are hard to replace, but through this memorial people will know that while he’s gone forever, he’s not forgotten in our hearts.”
  
  Mr. Lark has been recognized on national, state and local law enforcement officers memorials, but his widow said this gesture would be different.
  
  “I hadn’t even thought of such a thing,” Maribeth Lee said. “But it makes sense. It always meant so much to us that the last thing he did was help people. And this would be a lasting legacy and a wonderful tribute right there where he was doing his job.”
  
  And that’s what it was to Mr. Lark — a job. He loved going to work every day, and he was confident that he’d go home every night, Ms. Lee said.
  
  “Bill was fearless,” she said. “He lived his day. He didn’t stop and think about it.”
  
  But his family and friends did.
  
  “They’re out there doing their jobs and don’t even think about if it could be their last time out,” Ms. Stovall said. “A lot of people don’t even think about the risks they take. But they should.”
  
  Ms. French said that’s part of the reason she solicited signatures, even though they’re not required for the naming.
  
  “I hope people see the sign and remember and say a prayer that we don’t lose any more in the line of duty,” she said.
  
  Craig Lark, Mr. Lark’s son, said he appreciates the efforts because “sometimes people need to be reminded that there are people out there risking everything for them.”
  
  And Ms. Scroggins said she hopes she’ll be able to show her children, Taylor and Zachary William, the sign with their grandpa’s name.
  
  “It’d be wonderful to have something this lasting done in his honor — something that our children and grandchildren can see in the future,” she said. “It’d be so meaningful to have it there forever. Since my children never got to know him, it means a lot to know they’ll have places to go to realize that he touched lives.”
  
  Ms. Scroggins said the recognition will likely affect others, too.
  
  “You drive by other memorials and it makes you stop and think that someone gave their life there, and whether you know them or not, it touches you,” she said.
  
  Ms. Stovall and Ms. French plan to take their proposal to the county commissioners soon. They’ll present the petitions to show public support and the commissioners will decide whether to draft a resolution to the Missouri Department of Transportation requesting the dedication.²

• Last Edited: 17 Apr 2003