Charley made world a brighter, better place

During his travels, Charley Clark covered a lot of ground.

As special representative for the president of Union Pacific Railroad, Charley played an active role in the company's foundation. He was a welcome sight in the region, giving large sums of money to The Festival at Sandpoint, Bonner General Hospital and Bonner Community Food Center among others. He also had recently met with North Idaho Bikeways representatives to help figure out how the Sandpoint-to-Dover pedestrian/bike path could be extended further into Dover to connect up with the trails in Dover Bay.

Charley's heart was as big as the area he covered and he passionately believed in people and making the world a better place. Which is why his death on Oct. 21 came as such shock — no one could believe that such a compassionate, caring person was gone.

From his days as sergeant at arms in the Idaho House to his days as corporate lobbyist for Union Pacific, Charley worked to make the world a better place. He took the time to listen to what people were saying, to learn how they saw the world.

He was one of those rare individuals who "collected" people — he genuinely enjoyed spending time with people, finding out how they ticked, and doing what he could to make the world better.

We could use more people like Charley.

Caroline Lobsinger is the managing editor of the Daily Bee.