Clark Robert Santa Maria

Clark Robert Santa Maria, 53 of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, passed away on Sunday, July 31, 2022.
 
Born November 24, 1968 in Fontana, CA to Janette Harris and Ted Santa Maria, Clark attended East Union High School in Manteca, California and Chico State University. It was at Chico State where he channeled some of his boundless energy into rugby - a game that he deeply loved and continued to play throughout his life. An avid outdoorsman, Clark spent his summers as a commercial fisherman in Alaska. After graduating with a degree in Biology, Clark moved to the San Francisco Bay area where he worked as a logistics analyst and software developer for Lockheed Martin/NASA Ames Research Center, NBC Internet, and Cisco Systems. In 1996, he met the true love of his life, his wife Megan Moran-Santa Maria, while they were both playing softball at NASA Ames Research Center. He swept Megan off her feet and she never looked back.

In 2001, Clark and Megan moved to Charleston, SC, where Clark continued his work in software development and selflessly supported Megan as she completed graduate school. Clark and Megan married in 2004. They welcomed their son, Aiden, in 2009 and that was the start of Clark's most valued role in life - being a Dad to Aiden. Clark and Aiden were frequent visitors to the neighborhood pool and the very best times he spent in the past 12 years were teaching Aiden how to do all of his favorite things: to swim, ride a bike, tackle, catch a football, love math, name every airplane, catch a fish, read a book, work in the yard, and to bring his best every single day. There was truly nothing he loved more.   

Clark had an adventurous and inquisitive spirit, and he traveled extensively across the globe to China, Thailand, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Egypt, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Greece, England, New Zealand, Wales, Ireland and Antarctica. He had many interests and enjoyed skiing, hiking, camping, football, the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, and of course - rugby. Clark was a member of the Charleston Outlaw Rugby club for close to ten years as a player and later as an assistant coach. Clark also volunteered his time as a youth football and soccer coach for the town of Mount Pleasant. If you had time for a chat on the front porch, you could count on Clark, martini in hand, talking about any and all of these topics.  

Clark had infectious humor and energy that drew people to him, and he had the unique ability to make everyone around him feel comfortable to just be themselves. He was known to his friends and family as someone who literally never had a bad word to say about anyone - and as the guy who would quietly spend his time helping others. He was the first one to show up with his (very large) chainsaw after a storm to start the cleanup. And more than once, a friend's computer or lawn mower got magically fixed up while they weren't even around.

Clark served on the Darrell Creek neighborhood Architectural Review Board and decorated the Santa Maria house with a vast and colorful Christmas light display that was the envy of the neighborhood each year. It surprised absolutely no one that he was the inaugural winner of the Darrell Creek Christmas Light Competition. Clark was also reliable and consistent. You could count on him to show up to every party with his own wine glass, a good bottle of red wine, and a new story to tell. And no one could pull off a Schitt's Creek Johnny Rose costume better than Clark. 

Clark will be remembered as a loving, devoted husband and father and valued friend to so many, and he will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Clark is preceded in death by Janette Harris (mother) and Allen Harris (step-father), and Jerry Johnston (uncle). Clark is survived by his loving wife and son, Megan Moran-Santa Maria and Aiden Santa Maria, Melissa Santa Maria (sister), Kristen LaFrance (sister), Loren Santa Maria (brother), Nathan Harris (step-brother), Lawrence Moran (father-in-law), Mike Moran (brother-in-law), Kevin Moran (brother-in-law), Chris Moran (brother-in-law), Norah Moran (sister-in-law), Jamie Moran (sister-in-law), Dawn Moran (sister-in-law), Kelsey Moran (niece), Lillie Moran (niece), Abbey Moran (niece), Jackson Moran (nephew), Ryan Moran (nephew), Jenna Moran (niece), Alexis Ware (niece), Allison Ware (niece), Abbigail La France (niece), Brady La France (nephew), Cynthia Johnston (aunt), Jerry Johnston (cousin) and Ted Santa Maria (father).   

The family will receive friends on September 1st, 2022, from 5:00 to 7:00 at McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 1520 Rifle Range Road, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464.

The service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2022, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 950 Darrell Creek Trail, Mount Pleasant, SC 29466. The burial will be held at Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens, 1308 Mathis Ferry Road, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of choice.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com/.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 1520 Rifle Range Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464