[TFW2005]

Originally posted by: Tony_Bacala @ TFW2005.com

Quote:

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.

Gary started as everyone does here at TFW2005 as a member. Over time he quickly gained the reputation of having a level-head, being incredibly friendly, and very out-going. Over the course of many years, he attended several BotCon conventions and became a close friend to many of us on staff. He became a moderator but his passion didn't stop there, and he also became a member of our Photo Staff. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Gary scaled back his participation from the site but could never let go completely, and was currently an acting moderator at our sister site, TOYARK.COM. He participated in numerous Transformers-related podcasts over the last few years.

Gary also met the love of his life on our forums, Luisa ("Arcee"), kindling their relationship at OTFCC 2004 and eventually getting married. To this day they hold the distinct title of being the first and only real-life love story to have happened thanks to TFW2005.COM.

Funeral services for Gary Clark will be held at The Fitzgerald & Collins Funeral Home in Marlboro, Massachusettes. The service will start at 1pm on Sunday, October 2nd. For more information, please check the following link:

The Fizgerald & Collins Funeral Home

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). TFW2005.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 addres: rip.garydclark@yahoo.com

The entire staff of TFW2005.COM sends their sincerest respects and condolences to Luisa and Gary's family. We invite all of our members and guests reading this to share any memories they have of Gary in the current discussion thread. While we mourn his passing, Gary will never truly be gone as long as we never forget him.

Rest in Peace, Gary. And thank you for the memories.

Original Source: R.I.P. Gary Clark, aka Optimus Scourge @ Transformers - TFW2005.com.