William David Clarke II, ''Bill,'' of Brazoria, TX passed away on October 22, 2023, with his loving wife, Sandra, by his side. Bill was a resident of Brazoria, TX for 50+ years and a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church in Brazoria.

Born December 26, 1946, in Ferriday, Louisiana, he was the eldest of five children. He attended Louisiana Tech University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1968. Bill was a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the state of Texas and worked for Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, TX for 37 years. Bill loved growing up in Waterproof, Louisiana, and he frequently told stories of his childhood, raised on a farm near the beautiful Lake St. John. He was salutatorian of his class at Waterproof High School and received awards at the state level for Physics.

Bill was known for his warm and outgoing personality, jokes, and quick wit, with deep and meaningful friendships with so many. He met his wife, Sandra, of 51 years playing bridge, and together they have one son, William David Clarke III. He found joy in his three grandchildren, Meredith, Madeleine and Wesley Clarke who spent many overnight trips to their grandparents' house growing up. The grandkids enjoyed shooting BB guns, learning to cook, and lighting sparklers in the backyard.

Bill was a lifelong Scouter who received the rank of Eagle Scout in Louisiana at the age of 14. He dedicated his life to mentoring Scouts, many of whom considered him the father figure in their life. He founded Troop 524 in Brazoria, TX in 1986. He served as the Scoutmaster for 13 years and in numerous other roles in the Troop for another 20 years. Under his leadership, more than 50 scouts achieved the rank of Eagle, including his son.

Bill also served in numerous leadership roles in the local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Bay Area Council. He served on numerous Wood Badge training course staffs and was a staff member of the BSA National Jamboree several times. Bill served on Winter Camp staff at Camp Karankawa for more than 15 years, where he loved to teach woodcarving. He also founded a BSA Explorer Post at Columbia High School, where he served as Explorer Advisor for 4 years.

Bill was a recipient of the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, a Bay Area Council Silver Beaver Award recipient, a District Award of Merit recipient, Distinguished Commissioner Award recipient, a Herman Swift Award recipient, and he also received the William H. Spurgeon Award for leadership in the Explorer program.

In addition to Scouting, Bill dedicated his life to serving in multiple volunteer roles for his community. In 1977, he helped found the Brazoria County Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) where he served as President of the local chapter, and Vice President of the state organization. He served on the Brazoria Community Library Board for 4 years. During that time, he helped to raise the money and lead construction of the first library in the city of Brazoria, which opened in 1980. In 2009, Bill founded Feed my Lambs, a charity meals program, to feed children on free or reduced lunch programs, during the summer months, with the First Presbyterian Church in Brazoria. He served as director of this program for 8 years. Bill received the Citizen of the Year Award for the City of Brazoria in 2009 for this meal program.

Bill was an avid, talented, and passionate woodcarver and leaves behind a multitude of beautiful hand carved and painted creations. He served as President of the Brazoria County Woodcarvers for 12 years. He served as either Director or President of the state organization, the Texas Woodcarvers Guild, for a total of 7 years. He received the Charles ''C-Max'' Winstead award in 2012 for his service to the Texas Woodcarvers Guild; this is the highest honor for one of their members.

Bill survived a heart transplant in 2013. After recovering, he served as a patient advocate for Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX and was awarded their Hero Award in 2016 for his volunteer work, encouraging other transplant patients.

Bill is survived by his wife of 51 years, Sandra Clarke, his son, William David Clarke III and wife, Mary, and three grandchildren, Meredith, Madeleine and Wesley Clarke. He is survived by his brothers John and James Wiggins and sister Deborah Wiggins Floyd (Robert). He is survived by many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, William David Clarke, who passed before he was born, his mother Marilyn Grigsby Wiggins, his stepfather, Gordon Wiggins, and his sister Rebecca Lue Wiggins.

It is impossible to write all that Bill accomplished and contributed to in these paragraphs. Volunteering and serving his community were driving forces in his life. Above all else, he was a dedicated and loving husband, father, son, brother, and grandfather to those privileged to be in his family, or to whom he counted as a friend.

A celebration of his life will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Brazoria, TX on December 16, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. with a reception to follow. Scouts are encouraged to wear Class A uniform. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you help continue his legacy of servant leadership by making a memorial donation to any of the following:

Brazoria Community Library
620 S. Brooks
Brazoria, TX 77422

First Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 70
Brazoria, TX 77422

Feed My Lambs
First Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 70
Brazoria, TX 77422

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