Clark Rumrill

Clark Rumrill of Reston, VA was born in May of 1934 to Janice and Charles Rumrill in Rochester, NY. After a full and fascinating life, he passed away surrounded by family in July of 2021. Clark spent most of his childhood in Pittsford, NY and was in the first graduating class of Pittsford-Sutherland high school. He graduated from Amherst College in 1956 and then served 2 years in the US Air Force. He joined the State Department, and served for 25 years in some of the most demanding and engaging postings in the Foreign Service: Chennai, Kabul, Saigon, Jerusalem, Lahore, Cairo, and Colombo. He continued to explore the world after retiring, and enjoyed Hungary for his son’s wedding; Kabul to tour old haunts and visit a friend; Auckland for the sheep; Antarctica for the penguins; Tristan da Cunha for isolation and the vigor of the people; New Delhi for business and friendship; and, most recently, Mexico for his grandson’s wedding.

Clark was intrigued by the world and fascinated by people. He loved telling, writing, and listening to stories. He published in both the Washington Post and American Heritage on topics from U.S. policy and tribalism in Afghanistan to the nuclear bomb dropped on Mars Bluff, South Carolina. He found joy in touring the country to visit his children in Virginia, New York, and South Dakota. His love for road trips also took him to friends in Sargentville, Maine; to any Rochester Redwings game he could find; and to eclectic eateries such the Maple Tree Inn in Angelica, N.Y. His favorite local spot was the Vienna Inn, where he was a 50 year loyal patron who enjoyed his preferred table and waitress on a regular basis. He also loved the Reston Community Center pool where he swam with friends each week. Clark was wonderful at keeping in contact. He often talked about, visited, and corresponded with his beloved friends including those from Pittsford-Sutherland High School, Camp Cory on Keuka Lake, the Amherst College class of ‘56, Theta Delta Chi fraternity, and from his many travels and work all over the world.

Clark was predeceased by his parents, his sister Janice Dewire (George), and his niece Nancy Dewire. He will be remembered and greatly missed by his children, Katharine Rumrill Teece (Mark), Charlie Rumrill (Kristen), Richard Rumrill (Eniko), and Dudley Rumrill (Becky); his life-long friend and former wife, Meriwether; his 9 grandchildren Chris (Katya), Wyatt, Evan, Ella, Natalie, Chip, Vivian, Kati, and Sophie; his niece Sue Dewire Frutchey (Tom) and nephew Steve Dewire (Barb); and the many friends he met during his extensive travels both near and far. He will be inurned at Arlington National Cemetery in 2022. Details will be posted to the webpage below, and friends are urged to visit this site often to post reminiscences, condolences and photographs during the coming months. In Lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Care, a charity Clark supported for many years.