9/6/1952 – 6/1/2025
Lawrence
When John Clark Gingerich entered this world on September 6, 1952, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, quickly becoming the Apple of everyone’s eye.
His gentle nature, quick wit, and twinkling eyes drew friends to him effortlessly. As the son of a Methodist preacher, John Clark lived in Oklahoma, Iowa, Ohio, Japan, and Kansas. Despite his struggles with mental illness, he graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia, with a degree in journalism and after graduation worked as a reporter, and editor for small-town newspapers for several years. He also served as a paralegal, where his journalistic research skills proved to be an asset.
John Clark bravely started his own publication, Back Pages, a Kansas City, MO magazine driven by a mission to foster community within the Midtown area. He was responsible for every aspect of this modest but successful endeavor, serving as reporter, editor, printer, photographer, advertiser, and distributor.
When he wasn’t working on the magazine, he spent time in his darkroom, bringing his photographs of urban scenes to life. Blues and jazz were his favorite styles of music, and he played well enough to land a few coffeehouse gigs. John Clark’s gentle nature, wit and twinkling eyes never left him.
John Clark was preceded in death by his parents, John and Roberta Gingerich, and his sister, Harriet Caplan. He is survived by his sister, Robin Gingerich, (Tom Mersmann); nephew, Michael Hazel, and his family; his niece, Sara Hazel, and her family; and brother-in-law, Lou Caplan. John Clark transitioned into the great mystery on June 1, 2025.
In honor of his life, support your local, independent, newspaper, and local musicians.
Note: We are offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff.
We are glad to be able to offer this service free to community members in mourning. We believe the last thing our neighbors need in those difficult moments is another financial matter to worry about. Please consider a paid subscription to the Times to help us continue providing this service and news access for all.
To submit an obituary to The Lawrence Times, please fill out the form at this link. We’re sorry, but we cannot accept obituary submissions via email or other means.
If you are interested in sponsoring obituaries on our site through advertising, please email us at ads (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com.
Read other obituaries here.
