On Wednesday, September 28th, the TFW2005 family lost one of their own. Gary Clark, aka Optimus_Scourge, a former moderator and former photo staff member of TFW2005.COM, as well as a current moderator on our sister site ToyArk.com, passed away suddenly at his home. He was 34 years old.
He is survived by his wife and longtime TFW2005 member Luisa (“Arcee”), as well as his two sons.
Gary had a passion for Transformers and G.I. Joe. The only thing that seemed to surpass it was his passion for helping his friends and others in the collector community. Gary was always ready to meet someone new with a smile on his face and share his passion of collecting with others. The news of his passing comes as a total shock for countless members who had not only spoken to him recently, but had seen him at the last New Jersey Collectors Convention (NJCC) in April, and had planned to see him again in the next couple of weeks at the next NJCC.
James and Gary at NJCC April 2011
In these hard economic times the cost of putting to rest our loved ones can make things even more difficult than they already are. Gary’s widow Luisa (“Arcee”, a long time member of TFW2005) has set up a PayPal account for anyone willing to send donations to help cover the major expenses (totaling in excess of $10,000 just for funeral costs alone). NewJerseyCollectorsCon.com is not directly connected to this PayPal account but supports the reason for its creation and supports the cause. Gary did not have any life insurance, thus all expenses must be paid out of pocket.
To send a donation via PayPal, be sure to select the option of GIFT, and send any amount to the following address: rip.garydclark@yahoo.com
NJCC will be holding a moment of silence conducted by Kevin Scott Bolinger in his memory and dedicating this years Costume Contest in his honor. The entire staff of NJCC sends their sincerest respects and condolences to Luisa and Gary’s family.
