From the New Richmond News
Earl Clark, Deer
Park
February 15, 2002
Local residents and former law enforcement colleagues alike mourned the passing of Earl Clark last week. Clark, a former St. Croix County Sheriff's Department deputy, died Jan. 31 at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, Minn., after suffering a long illness. He was 59. A longtime Deer Park area resident and the former owner of what is now known as the Crossroads Cafe at the "Four Corners" intersection of highways 63 and 64, Clark also ran for sheriff and for the Wisconsin Senate, and was a veteran with the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department.
Clark was the lead investigator in the case involving the 1993 murder of Jane Neumann in Hudson. Jane Neumann was killed Nov. 22, 1993, in her Hudson home by a single gunshot. A civil court later handed down a judgment that held her husband, James, responsible for her death, and an appeals court affirmed the decision last February. James was never criminally charged in the incident.
Former FBI agent Jack Schulte, a pallbearer at Clark's funeral last week, collaborated frequently with Clark during local and criminal investigations. "I probably worked more with him than any other investigators in my territory," said Schulte, who previously worked out of the FBI's Eau Claire office. "We both retired in 1997," Schulte added. "Earl was one of my closest friends and working associates." What set Clark apart was his personality and an almost uncanny knack for unearthing information, Schulte said. "For someone who didn't have a degree in psychology, he was the ultimate psychologist," said Schulte. "He had the insight and the ability to get people to open up to him and talk. "He was one of the best interviewers I've ever seen, and he did it with genuine compassion," added Schulte.
Clark's reputation spread beyond St. Croix County and western Wisconsin. Federal prosecutors in Madison knew and respected his work, Schulte said. Clark's death marks the second passing of a key area law enforcement professional in recent months, Schulte said. The late Carl Schrank, River Falls, died late last year and was widely known and respected in the law enforcement community, he added.
Clark was born Dec. 17, 1942, in Milwaukee and raised on a dairy farm in Burnett County. He graduated from Frederic High School and attended Polk County Teachers college, but the lure of a law enforcement career was stronger than the classroom.
Clark was a peace officer in both Polk and St. Croix counties. He served as a St. Croix County patrol officer from 1969 to '84. He became an investigator in 1984 when the patrol and sheriff's department merged into one department. In 1980 he ran an unsuccessful bid for a State Senate seat from the 10th District on the Republican ticket. Clark ran for sheriff in 1986. He retired from the sheriff's department in 1997. In his final years he worked as a private investigator and was responsible for setting up the St. Croix County Crime Lab.
He was married to the former Wanda Elaine Anderson on July 18, 1964, and the couple had three children. Clark was divorced in 1988. In 1990 he married LaDonna Luke in Hawaii.
Clark was a member of the Deer Park Fire Department, Amery School Board, East Immanuel Church Council and worked on a number of community volunteer organizations. Funeral services were held Feb. 4 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Amery.
