Reedsport Reserve Officer Passed Away

Reedsport Police Department

 It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that (Gerry) Gerald Clark (Do Good), who was a Reserve Officer for the Reedsport Police Department, has passed away today 09/04/2021 due to medical complications. 

On October 04, 2016, I met Gerry after he came into the lobby of the Reedsport Police Department to ask if we needed any volunteers.  At that time, the only application to be a volunteer was the City Employment application, which is about 14 pages long.  I remember hearing him say I just wanted to volunteer I don’t want a job and he handed the application back to the dispatcher. 

After hearing this conversation I went to talk to the chief at the time and reworked the employment application to a one page document that would work for a volunteer.  The chief approved the form and I went to find Gerry.  I located him in front of Heidi’s Coffee Shop seated on a bench.  I sat down and asked him if he would be willing to fill out a one-page volunteer application.  He said yes.  That started what I would consider a friendship.  

I learned Gerry served in the United States Military, he had been married a few times, had children, was a former Lieutenant with California Corrections and worked in many prison systems. 

Well Gerry was modest and didn’t divulge the true nature of his life history, come to find out Gerry worked on a cattle and sheep ranch in his youth, after high school he joined the United States Navy and became a underwater demolition team member of Seal Team One.  

Gerry said he was a Frog Man, not a Seal.  

He served during the Vietnam War and was a Combat Veteran.  After his military term ended, he went to the Police Academy and worked for the California Department of Corrections.  He worked in various prison facilities including San Quentin. 

Gerry started doing volunteer work long before I met him.  He would be seen around town with a vest that read “DO GOOD” on the back and he was riding a bicycle talking to people and picking up trash.  He was an inspiration to other citizens.  

He became a Bailiff for the Reedsport Municipal Court and worked his way over to the Police Department, doing house security checks, prisoner transports, and eventually became a reserve doing anything we asked him to do.

Gerry has been and will be an inspiration to me of what a true volunteer citizen is.  Gerry surpassed our expectations and ended up working seven days a week.  Way too much for any volunteer.  He told me once it was the best job he ever had.  I cannot imagine what the future looks like without seeing Gerry every day, but I will miss his stories, his smile, his strength, and mostly his fellowship. 

He will truly be missed; god speed my friend until we meet again. 

Sincerely; 

Matt Smart and the entire staff of the Reedsport Police Department