Educator, cleric.
Born at South Witham, Lincolnshire, England, on 14 May 1885, son of Richard Clark, he worked as a shop clerk in England prior to immigrating to Canada in 1911, where he embarked on a career as a teacher. He was a student -- possibly studying theology -- at Oxbow, Saskatchewan when, in March 1916, he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force of the First World War.
He trained in Canada among the ranks of the 203rd Overseas Battalion (March-September 1916) and arrived in England via the SS Grampian in November 1916. The balance of his military service was served in England, split between the 18th Canadian Reserve Battalion and Canadian Forestry Corps. A bout with inflamed rheumatism in February 1917, which despite a full recovery therefrom, prevented his clearance to sail for the Western Front in France. He served as Acting Sergeant but was otherwise given a medical discharge with the rank of Private in September 1919, having returned to Montreal, Quebec, where he was demobilized.
Having secured military permission to marry on 13 June 1918, he married Evelyn Marion Watkins (1888-1955) and she joined him in Canada in 1920. Following her death in 1955, he wed Isabel Squires (?-?). Initially he went to Borden, Saskatchewan (1919) to work as a clergyman before moving to Manitoba. The couple lived at 573 Maryland Avenue (1921) in Winnipeg where he studied Theology (Probationer, 1920) and Art at Wesley College enroute to graduation from the University of Manitoba with a BA (1921) degree. He was active in the inter-collegiate and international debating team as well as dramatics club. During this period, he worked as the Secretary (c1921) for the Young Men's Christian Association, was Pastor of Norwood Church of Christ (1921-1922), and oversaw operations (1921-1925) at the Methodist Literary and Athletic Association summer camp at Lake of the Woods near Kenora, Ontario.
He was Principal of Holland School (1922-1925), worked as an Instructor at Brandon College (1925-1927), and was Principal of Devonshire Collegiate Institute (1927-1932), after which he served as a Trustee of the Selkirk School District No. 69 (1932-1933). By 1935, he moved to St. Vital where he joined the staff of the Glenlawn School District No. 1499, teaching at Glenlawn Collegiate (1935-1948). In addition to classroom duties, he returned to the pulpit as Pastor of Norwood Church of Christ (1942-1948).
He was Assistant District Commissioner (1925) with the Boy Scouts at Brandon and whilst at Selkirk was a charter officer (1932) of the Selkirk Branch of the Army and Navy Veterans' Club, unsuccesfully stood during the 1932 civic election as a candidate for Selkirk City Council, coming in second in his ward, and sat on the School Participation Subcommittee of the Manitoba 60th Anniversary Committee (1930). After moving to the capitol region, he lived at 25 St. David Road and became involved with the Winnipeg Humane Society and served on its Board of Directors (1939-1940, 1943-1944), as Vice-President (1943-1944), and President (1944-1948).
In 1948, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where he continued teaching until retirement in 1960. He died at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria on 7 August 1972 and was buried in the Royal Oak Burial Park.
Death registrations [Evelyn Marion Clark, John Neville Clark], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
1921, 1926, and 1931 Canada censuses, Library and Archives Canada.
Attestation papers [John Neville Clark], Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.
School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.
Brown and Gold 1920, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections.
Brown and Gold 1920-1921 page 58, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections.
“Disciples of Christ,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 April 1920, page 7.
“Norwood Church of Christ (Disciples) [...],” Manitoba Free Press, 17 April 1920, page 11.
“New Norwood pastor,” Manitoba Free Press, 22 October 1921, page 43.
“Norwood Church of Christ,” Manitoba Free Press, 11 February 1922, page 19.
“A co-operative island camp,” Manitoba Free Press, 24 June 1922, page 34.
“Presbyterian Christmas entertainment at Holland,” Manitoba Free Press, 25 December 1922, page 12.
“The Methodist Literary and Athletic Association [...],” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 30 May 1923, page 5.
“Kenora camp news,” Manitoba Free Press, 18 July 1923, page 6.
“M.L.A. campers are hosts to boy scouts,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 July 1924, page 4.
“With the campers,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 August 1924, page 6.
“Open registed Brandon College,” Brandon Daily Sun, 21 September 1925, page 5.
“Boy Scout and Wolf Club “Field Day”,” Brandon Daily Sun, 21 May 1927, page 10.
“Boy Scout activities,” Brandon Daily Sun, 24 November 1926, page 5.
“Around town [Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Clark ...],” Brandon Daily Sun, 24 August 1927, page 5.
“Brandon social notes [In honor of Mrs. J. N. Clark, who is leaving shortly to reside in Selkirk ...],” Manitoba Free Press, 24 August 1927, page 5.
“Jubilee celebration sub-commitees named,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 23 May 1930, page 10.
“Country election results [Selkirk],” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 November 1932, page 32.
“J. N. Clark, Selkirk, wins election as school trustee,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 December 1932, page 15.
“Kiwanis minstrels visit Selkirk club,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 23 February 1933, page 8.
“1,500 enjoy community sing-song in St. James,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 June 1936, page 7.
“Gay dance planned as formal opening to summer school,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 July 1938, page 12.
“Good year reported by Humane Society,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 8 February 1939, page 6.
“Paton again elected Humane Society head,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 15 February 1939, page 6.
“Hall heads S.P.C.A.” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 24 March 1943, page 13.
“Humane Society ames officers,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 17 Feb 1944, page 11.
“Humane Society urges care in handling stock,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 9 February 1944, page 13.
“Humaine Society stresses need for more help,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 17 February 1943, page 3.
“Church club honors J. N. Clark,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 27 June 1945, page 7.
“Humane Society re-elects Clark,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 April 1945, page 2.
“Humane Society elects Clark,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1947, page 3.
“Clark heads Humane Society,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 April 1947, page 3.
“Humane Society head,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 April 1947, page 9.
“Norwood Church will celebrate anniversary,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 January 1948, page 9.
“Work in city going well,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 March 1948, page 2.
“Graduates hear Rev. T. J. Finlay,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 June 1948, page 3.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
Royal Oak Burial Park Cemetery [Victoria] burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 17 January 2026
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