Clark’s Clothing
This ad in the Reston Recorder announced the end of Clark's Men's wear in May of 1967 after serving the area for almost 2 decades. Owner Keith Clark was born in Reston in 1916 and served as a fighter pilot in WW2. He contracted tuberculosis while in North Africa and it was at a hospital in Johannesburg where he met his wife Florence "Jeff" Jeffries of Nova Scotia. They married and moved to Reston where they raised 3 girls and 1 boy and took an active role in the community with Keith chairing the Chamber of Commerce and Elizabeth Legion among other organizations.
The shop was located on Second Avenue facing north right behind Abbey's Red & White Store . The family home had a cottage roof style home facing east with a addition on the west side straight east on the lot Donald and Jenny Curtis moved their house from the farm onto in the 1990's. (Thanks Trev!) Apparently the home or perhaps the store was moved to Oak Lake Beach resort as a cottage in 1970. Keith was a regular advertiser in the Recorder, selling ready made clothes and outerwear. Jeff was a well loved nurse in the local hospital . Further information and pictures are always welcome at ssimms@escape.caContributions to the medical and retail clothing business in Reston go back another generation as well. The ad below from 1930 confirms that Winnifred (Wilson) Clark sold hats for a time in a shop on the second floor of the bank and the drugstore. Her husband and Keith's father was Dr. F. H. Clark whose obituary from the 1957 Recorder relates his 42 years of doctoring to the area and his social contributions as well. Dr. and Mrs. Clark's stately home stands proudly on 5th avenue in Reston today.
'Jeff' Clark was one of the nurses who cared for my Mother, Ruth Wynn Parker, during her final hospitalization in Reston in 1963. In the early 1970s, I was an RN at Brandon General Hospital and was able to care for Mrs Clark during her hospitalization. Eileen Parker Kent
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