Daniel Cooper Clark, 83, passed away in his home in Sebastian FL, on October 30, 2024, surrounded by the love of his devoted wife Ellie and daughter Uma. He was born on January 5, 1941, in Grafton MA, the son of Rodney Upham Clark and Helen Elizabeth (Cooper) Clark. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Eleanor (Singer) Clark of Sebastian; his two daughters, Gulab Clark of Hau'ula HI and Uma Clark of Melbourne FL; his sister, Holly (Clark) Miller and her husband, Duncan of Bedford MA. He also leaves two step-children, Aaron Barlow of Kenilworth IL and Deborah Barlow of Indianapolis IN, and two step-grandchildren; his nieces, Kristin (Miller) Jackvony of N. Scituate RI and Brenda (Miller)  Kenahan of Bedford MA, and four grand nephews.

A member of the Class of 1958 of Grafton High School, Daniel graduated from Amherst College in 1963 and in 1965 from Columbia University, earning degrees in Fine Arts. He also studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the New School in New York City. While living in NYC in 1966, making films, he encountered A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a philosopher and spiritual leader, and became part of the swami's organization, serving at temples in Boston MA, Washington DC (where he was the founding president), and Los Angeles CA. He left the organization in 1978, but continued the spiritual disciplines instilled by the swami throughout his life.

Daniel and Ellie married in 1981, making a homestead in the mountains of North Carolina, where they pursued a variety of creative outlets. In 1989, they moved to Sebastian, where Daniel became a reporter for the weekly Sebastian Sun . He wrote under the byline Dan Clark, contributing dozens of articles to the columns "Moments in the Sun", "Our Town", and "Our World". For the Sebastian River Area Historical Society, he wrote a booklet, More Tales of Sebastian , published in 1992. In 1991, he began a twenty-five-year career at the North Indian River County Library as the Reference Technology Coordinator, introducing computer literacy to the patrons, developing the Internet Users Group, and organizing a monthly movie showing of rare and foreign films.

Vacationing from North Carolina, Daniel had discovered Kashi Ashram in Sebastian, an interfaith community, which embraces all paths to God. After moving to the area, he regularly participated at Kashi with the kirtan musicians' (devotional singing) group, inspiring all with his talent in Bengali-style drumming. Occasionally he gave talks on various topics, notably a summary study of the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture. Daniel had done his own translation of the Gita from Sanskrit into English, titled The Song of Bhagavan .

Daniel and Ellie developed their property in Sebastian into a lush, beautiful, botanical paradise and, in retirement, Daniel continued to care lovingly for the plants, trees, and shrubs they had planted. Just two weeks before his hospitalization, he was in his yard, trimming trees. His devotional love of nature is visible there and appears as well in many of his writings. He was a prolific writer of spiritual essays and poetry and several of his books have been published by Amazon, including The Song of Bhagavan .

Daniel will be remembered for his brilliance, spiritual depth, kindness, quiet wit, creativity in art and word, faithfulness to family, and courage in taking the road less traveled. His earthly body was cremated. A memorial service will be held at a later date.