Edward Clark Edwards, 79, of Letcher passed away Sunday, July 17, 2022 at Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in Mitchell.  Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM Monday, July 25, 2022 at the Letcher Community Church.  Burial will be at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD.

Clark was born on August 29, 1942 to Edgar and Maybelle (Litwinenko) Edwards in Alton, Illinois.  The younger of two boys, Clark was just 11 when their father passed away.  The family then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to live with Maybelle's sister, Christine.  They spent all of their summers with his aunts, uncles and cousins on the family farm in Herreid, South Dakota.  There, he developed a fondness for farming, tractors and South Dakota; as well as a strong belief in hard work, responsibility, laughter and family.

Clark attended the University of Nebraska, graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering; then entered the Air Force as an officer in 1965. He had overseas assignments in both Japan and Germany.  He was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, SAEMR (Small Arms Expert Marksmanship), National Defense Medal, AFLSA (AF Longevity Service) with Oak Leaf. Clark left the Air Force, with the rank of Captain and went to work for the US Army Space Program and TENCAP (Tactical Exploration of National Capabilities Program) at the Pentagon, Washington, DC.  He retired in 1997 after 32 years of Federal Service.  Upon retirement he chose to leave the noise of the DC area behind and moved back to his beloved South Dakota where he found his new home with acreage in Letcher. He spent 17 happy years there with dear friends and the loving community at Letcher Community Church.  He enjoyed his weekly coffee with friends and spending time with the crew at Buckshots.  He remained a lifelong Huskers fan.

Clark loved great music, from classical to jazz, travel, reading about history and science, and Volvos. He especially loved tracing the roots of his family, who immigrated from Ukraine/Russia.  He enjoyed multiple trips to Western Europe, especially Germany and the Netherlands.  Each year he spent the holidays with his brother's family in Colorado.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Terry Edwards.

Clark is survived by his niece, Lisa (Jason) Atkins of Erie, CO, nephew, Tom Edwards of Brighton, CO, grandnieces, Ariella Phillips and Aliyah Atkins, as well as his beloved cat, Silk.