Ammon man killed in crash Monday was ‘a treasure’ who will be ‘sorely missed’ by the community

AMMON – Friends and family are mourning the loss of an Ammon man killed in a car crash near Idaho Falls Monday.

Sixty-six-year-old Jerry Clark was one of three people hospitalized at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center following a 4-car crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 91 and West 65th S. He died in the hospital shortly after he was admitted.

Clark’s death comes as a shock to many and those who knew him say he will be sorely missed.

“Jerry is going to be a huge loss to this community,” Mike Brown, who has worked with Clark for many years, tells EastIdahoNews.com.

Clark was a piano tuner at Piano Gallery in Ammon for many years.

Jeff Brown, who manages the Pocatello store, had spent an hour with Clark several hours before he died. He’s still recovering from the news of Clark’s death and declined to comment, but his brother, Doug, who owns Piano Gallery, says Jeff and Clark were tuning a piano for their Costco sale.

“He tuned the piano and talked to Jeff for a little bit and it was later that afternoon he was in that accident,” Doug says.

RELATED | 1 person dies, 2 others hospitalized following 4-car crash in Idaho Falls

Doug describes Clark as a workaholic who would drop everything to go and tune a piano whenever it was needed, and his piano tuning skills were unmatched by anyone.

“The thing about Jerry is he was really old-school, really honest. He would go out to somebody’s house, spend an hour fixing the piano and probably should have charged them more, but he didn’t. He never wanted to gouge people. He was a humble guy,” Mike says.

Clark got his start tuning pianos many years ago after taking a technical program at Idaho State University, Doug says. He started with Piano Gallery in the 1980s when it was Keith Jorgensen’s Music Gallery in downtown Idaho Falls.

He had clients throughout eastern Idaho and tuned pianos for many concerts held at the Civic Auditorium in Idaho Falls and at the Stephen Jenson Performing Arts Center in Pocatello.

He also played the piano. He wasn’t known for playing publicly, Doug says, but Clark would often play a piano after it was tuned to make sure it sounded right.

Clark’s musical talent was top-notch, according to his neighbor Kendra Hudman. He played the organ and clarinet in addition to the piano. Hudman recalls playing with Clark on numerous occasions in church settings and with the Idaho Falls Music Club for community events.

“One of the things I think he most needs to be remembered for is that he was a very talented musical arranger. He wrote an Easter Cantata and several things that were performed in the LDS community,” Hudman says. “He was very quiet about it.”

Hudman says Clark didn’t like to talk about his talent, and when others would compliment him, it made him uncomfortable.

“There was so much music left in him that did not get to come, and I am sad about that,” she says. “Our community has lost a treasure.”

Since the news of his passing, several people have told us how much influence Clark had on their life. Gable Roth, a local resident, says Clark was his parents’ piano tuner and has helped his wife out on many occasions.

“Just a couple of weekends before the accident, my wife was organizing a piano festival for various piano teachers in the area and she asked Jerry if he would be willing to be a judge. He was more than willing, but he was too busy with other piano-related activities that day. He truly was an amazing man.”

Ammon Mayor Sean Coletti noted Clark’s passing on Facebook Tuesday, praising his talent and character.

Doug says they never thought about replacing Clark because he was a man who was always there, ready and willing to help.

“There’ve been two tuners that have been around longer than I’ve been in the business. One of those was Jerry Clark. There’s going to be a huge hole,” he says.

“He was the kindest, sweetest, most unassuming man, and that’s what everyone will remember him for,” Hudman says.

Clark leaves behind his wife, Gaylanne, three children and four grandchildren. Private funeral services will be held later this week. Read his death notice here.