Clark Christensen

Clark Gardner Christensen (77) of Provo, UT, retired Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University, passed away on February 2, 2021.

Clark was born in Spanish Fork, Utah, on June 17, 1943, to Howard James Christensen and Edna Gardner. He was raised in Salem, Utah, surrounded by a large extended family. He spent many summers helping his uncle and cousins with farm work. He enjoyed helping in the family garden and fishing with his dad. During his late-teens, he spent three summers working as a carpenter. Clark excelled in school, graduating from Spanish Fork High School after just two years, which allowed him to attend BYU for two years prior to his mission call at age 19.

Clark served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Southwest Indian Mission, where he learned to speak Navajo. His mother passed away while he was on his mission. He returned home for the funeral, then completed his missionary service. After his mission, he continued his studies at BYU and graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in physics in 1966. He was honored as “Outstanding Student in the College of Physical and Engineering Sciences,” and also received “highest honors” from the BYU Honors program.

During his senior year at BYU, Clark met Vicki Marie Enders of Pocatello, Idaho, and they were married on September 5, 1967, in the Salt Lake City Temple. Immediately after marriage they moved to Burbank, California, where they lived while Clark did graduate work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as a National Science Foundation Fellow. He received his Ph.D. in astronomy in 1972 and subsequently accepted an assistant professorship at BYU. He remained at BYU for a successful teaching career that spanned more than four decades, retiring in 2016.

Clark and Vicki had a large family of eight children during their marriage. After their divorce in 1991, both continued actively parenting their children. In 1994, Clark met Kathleen Child of Eagle River, Alaska, after she moved to Provo to continue her education at BYU. They were married October 31, 2000, in the Manti Temple. Their marriage added two stepchildren to Clark’s family.

In addition to his responsibilities at the university, Clark filled his time raising his family, serving in the Church, growing fruit trees and a large vegetable garden, and, in later years, spending time with his grandchildren. He was a wonderful father who taught his children the value of hard work and the importance of respecting and serving others, mainly by his example. He also shared his love of the outdoors with his children, taking them on numerous hikes and outings. Together they summited many mountains, explored national parks, skied, and slept out under the stars. His children always enjoyed going on these outings with him, as he seemed to have an endless store of knowledge of the natural world. Not only were the surroundings beautiful, and the activities challenging, but the conversation was always fascinating as well. These trips and the knowledge he always shared will be greatly missed.

Clark is survived by his wife, Kathleen Christensen; his eight children: Maren (Gregory) Bauer, Dedra (Thomas) Gourdin, Clark (Erica) Christensen, Melissa (Scott) Daniels, Julie Christensen, Nathan (Victoria) Christensen, Jonathan (Catherine) Christensen, Lisa Christensen; two step-children: Jerusha (Michael) Smith, McKay Child; 26 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He is also survived by three siblings: Dolores Boyack, Karen Rowe, and R. Sam Christensen. He was preceded in death by a brother, Howard James Christensen, Jr.

A private service will be held 12:00 p.m. on February 10, in Provo, UT. It will be live-streamed at: https://www.walkersanderson.com. Burial will be in the Salem City Cemetery in Salem, Utah. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: https://www.cpms.byu.edu/giving.

Arrangements entrusted to Walker Sanderson Funeral Home of Orem.