We’ve seen his name a million times. It’s featured prominently in bold white letters on a stout beige building, across the Viaduct on the west side of Bill Snyder’s Highway 1-77. Many of us have even had to use the services of his business. We’ve all seen and know Alan Clark Body Shop, but who was Alan Clark, the man?
Alan Clark loved doing what he was born to do. Raised on a farm near Alta Vista, he attended Pittsburg State’s Auto Mechanics & Auto Body Repair program, where he quickly discovered his talent for artistically putting things together. Rebuilding cars on the farm, he found that he was able to visualize projects in three dimensions, envisioning the steps required to bring projects to completion.
In 1967, Alan moved to Manhattan and founded Clark Body Shop, one of Manhattan’s first independent body shops. Originally located in a rented building on Highway 1-77, Alan built a new shop nearby, becoming Alan Clark Body Shop in 1969. The business moved to the current location at 2160 Pillsbury Dr. in 1982, as their first owned shop would then become the founding location of Briggs Auto.
Alan married Sharon Macy in 1969, and they had two children together, Alison and Ross. Alan and Sharon owned and operated the body shop before selling it in 1991. They celebrated the 25th anniversary, and then stayed on for another year before officially retiring in 1992. The shop retains Alan's name to this day.
A self-proclaimed ‘Wreck Builder & Fabricator,’ Alan wouldn’t purchase vehicles at a dealership, but instead would comb through salvage yards, finding vehicles to rebuild and fix up. Sharon would drive them, and Alan would sell them. She never knew what she would be driving next! Alan also rebuilt Jeeps. He built at least five from the ground up, and would start with the frame, or the undercarriage. He would then modify them: lengthen, shorten, or widen. He would mainly do Scramblers, after CJ-8’s. A member of the Flint Hills Jeep Club, Alan and his dearly beloved wife of 52 1/2 years loved visiting Colorado, riding with the Colorado Scrambler Group.
In later years, Alan and Sharon spent a lot of time at the family farm redoing their fence. “Him and I, we started it and did them all,” says Sharon. “Then, with the new Highway [1-77] project, we had to redo them. Our ranch is on both sides of the highway, so he was proud to get the fences rebuilt - even despite fighting aggressive cancer. He took great honor in the conservatorship of the land. Our grandkids are the sixth generation owning different pieces of this ranch, after all!”
It’s not about giving up hope - it’s about changing what you're hoping for.
“We lost our son, Ross, in a car accident, 12 years ago. I then started their outreach counseling program that they do for the community,” she says.
“In January 2021, my mother went there, and I also had an uncle go there as well. As Alan progressed through his cancer, we always knew, even though we have a single-story house, that it would become unsafe getting in and out of bed, and that sort of thing. So, we discussed it, and he knew that’s where he wanted to be.”
“When the care reached the point that's when Alan and Sharon made the decision the hospice house would be a better level of care, we transitioned them here,” says Christina Nolte, Executive Director. “We became his 24-hour caregivers. We took on all of the caregiving they were doing at home. We took that on, and that allowed them time to share the final moments of his life.”
“I had one of the little suites, so I had a bed where I could sleep,” Sharon says. “So, I was able to always be there. My daughter works at [Flint Hills] Job Corps, she was able to come over on her lunch hour, and on her way home. She got to spend some quality time too. They helped our family navigate uncertainty with wisdom, mercy, and grace.”
“We want people to think that hospice is something more. When the hope of a cure is no longer feasible, then what are we left hoping for?! We are hoping to pass peacefully, comfortably, with dignity, and free from pain. Those are still very valuable, very legitimate hopes. Those are our goals under hospice. We’re changing the hope, and changing the goal,” says Christina.
Going Out In Style
Alan’s last project was a 1972 Jeep Commando. It was an off-frame restoration, and in his final year, he was unable to get it completed. A family friend, John Poole, helped move things along. While Alan was still at home, John would come up to the house and ask questions on how to do things. John would offer his thoughts, Alan would listen to his suggestions, and then say, “Or…we could do this!” John worked day and night to get it together. He was able to bring the Jeep to the parking lot, and Alan was able to see it. Due to pandemic restrictions at the time, the family had been able to visit Alan, but friends had not. So, several of his friends came to the parking lot and were able to see Alan and the car. It was a bittersweet day for everyone.
“It was emotional for all of us," says Christina. “It was really special. He touched the Jeep, and it was running, and his family was showing him what they had done.”
“It was a representation of a lot of moments that happen here. You think about hospice and the sadness and the heaviness of that word, but I have witnessed more inspiring and beautiful moments of life through hospice than I could’ve ever imagined. That’s the gift hospice gives. It is about more. More moments, more quality, and more time. When you’re working with people who know that their time is limited, they’re spending their time with the people who are most important to them, and doing what is most important to them. That’s where the quality of life comes from — and that's what we get to see here.”
November is National Home Care & Hospice Month. Good Shepherd Home Care & Hospice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, offering at-home care, palliative home health care & hospice. Serving seven surrounding counties, it is the only hospice house in Riley County. They serve individuals regardless of insurance status, or ability to pay. The grief counseling program meets each Wednesday from 12-1pm at St. Thomas More Church. Learn more at goodshepherdhh.org
