Curtis Clarke passed away June 2, 2020 from pancreatitis at Scripps Green Hospital. He was 57 years old. Curtis was born at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena on January 27, 1963. He attended Marengo Elementary until his parents Claire and Leon divorced in 1974. That same year he relocated to Reno with his mother and two brothers Chris and Kerry. Not long after he returned to South Pasadena and joined his father, completing his secondary education.

Curtis enjoyed weekend surfing with his friends, John Bennett '81 and Brian Conway '81. He played on the SPHS football squad, and then the Pasadena City College football team, where he was recruited by the University of Illinois. He played in the 1984 Rose Bowl. Before the game, he and his teammates were guests at Hugh Heffner's estate in Holmby Hills, joined by their UCLA opponents in a trip to Disneyland and enjoyed a king's feast at the fabled Lawry's Prime Rib Beef Bowl. He later played in a Peach Bowl. Returning to California, he settled in the San Diego area where he lived a consummate California beatnik existence while working at a Leucadia surf shop until he met his wife Stacey in 1996. Curtis owned and operated Sara Lee bread routes for 20-years until his retirement in 2014.

Curtis was a devoted father to his son Carson and daughter Kennedy, both accomplished athletes. Carson presently attends the University of Oregon playing lacrosse. Kennedy participating in several intramural sports at Cathedral Catholic High School.

Curtis was well known to many from SPHS because of his older brother Chris, a lineman with Junior All-American football program frequented the Clarke family residence in South Pasadena passing time playing billiards and swimming. There were frequent trips to their second home near Palm Springs, where activities included golf, desert off-roading on a Honda three-wheel all-terrain vehicle, water skiing in the Salton Sea, and terrifying rides up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. 

Brian Conway summed up Curtis:  "He was a great man with endless compassion and selflessness. He will be terribly missed by all who knew him."

Christopher Clarke '75

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Curtis Arkell Clarke, 57, of San Diego, California, passed away at Scripps Green Hospital after an extended hospitalization for pancreatitis, which concluded as a result of an undetected and untreated puncture to his small intestine, on June 2, 2020. Curtis was born in Pasadena to Leon and Claire Clarke on January 27, 1963. He graduated from South Pasadena High School and went on to attend Pasadena Community College before earning a scholarship to play football at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. As defensive end, he played in both the Rose Bowl and the Peach Bowl.

In September 1996, he married Stacey Lee Hoyt, Ph.D., in San Diego. He worked as a distributor for Sarah Lee Fresh for 20 years before retiring in 2014. Curtis was a very devoted father attending all practices and competitions for both of his children and establishing many strong relationships among the golf, volleyball, lacrosse, and track and field communities. The family also traveled extensively and enjoyed both philanthropic and leisure activities.

Curtis was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Stacey Hoyt, Ph.D., a psychologist in San Diego; their son, Carson Clarke, a student at the University of Oregon; and their daughter, Kennedy Clarke, a junior at Cathedral Catholic High School. He is also survived by his extended family, including his brothers, Christopher Clarke (SPHS '75) and husband, Edward Barreto, of Los Angeles and La Quinta; and Kerry Clarke (Julie) of Windemere, California.

San Diego Union-Tribune, June 18, 2020