Douglas Lynn Clark

Douglas Lynn Clark, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, passed away on August 25, 2021, at St. Joseph’s Hospital South from COVID-19. Born on March 26, 1954, he grew up in Ruskin, FL, and graduated from East Bay High School. Doug worked at Clark’s furniture in Ruskin, worked for Coca-Cola in North Florida, and was a highly trained commercial diver and cave dive instructor. He helped set the concrete columns that support the new Skyway bridge when it was built in the 80’s. After that, Doug pursued his career in law enforcement and served 11 years as an officer at Hardee Correctional Institution, working a variety of posts at the Main Unit. In February of 2008, Doug joined the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and served in the Corrections Bureau for 13 years, most recently overseeing inmate work projects in the jail’s Road Gang Unit. He was a firearms instructor who loved competitive shooting, participating in the Florida Police Combat League, Police Olympics, FPOA, NRA and Glock matches. He loved coaching soccer and baseball and water fun with the kids and grandkids. He is preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Clark. He is survived by his father, Maynard Clark, his wife Karen of 26 years, his children India, Jaurian, Michelle, Lindsey, William, and Sean, his 11 grandchildren, his brother Donald and sisters Sheran and Sandra.

A visitation for Doug will be held Thursday, September 2, 2021, at 10:00 AM, at Simmons Loop Baptist Church, 6610 Simmons Loop, Riverview, FL 33578. The visitation will be followed by a line of duty funeral service with full law enforcement honors at 11:00 AM. Doug will be buried in the Clark family plot at Schellsburg Cemetery. Doug was a Gideon. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in his memory to The Gideon’s International at www.sendtheword.org.