SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The family of longtime Coeur d’Alene School District physical education teacher, Clark Campbell, sat down with KREM 2 to share the memories and the impact Campbell left behind in the community after he died Monday while mountain biking.
Campbell started teaching physical education in the Coeur d'Alene School District in 1990 —you can measure his career in years— but you can't begin to measure the impact he had on the hundreds of students who knew him as Mr. Campbell.
"It's just who he is. He genuinely wanted to do something that made him happy every day" Clark's wife, Sherry Campbell, said. "Very physically active, which is why this is such a shock because the guy was in great shape."
Clark went mountain biking on Monday afternoon at his favorite spot up Iller Creek, a short distance from his home in Spokane Valley.
His family knew something was wrong when he didn't return, or pick up his phone.
"We thought he crashed, or I did when I headed up there but it turned out he just had a massive heart attack," Sherry said.
Clark's friends and family hiked and dirt biked up the trail and found his body at his favorite lookout spot — a place he would often pray, and call his wife, letting her know he would be home soon.
"My dad didn't show any trauma that he had a crash, he went where he was meant to go. How can you be upset when you have a view like that and you're doing something you love?" Clark's daughter Kaleigh said.
The CDA Schools shared on a Facebook post that Clark was 'An avid outdoorsman and cyclist, and he had a passion for staying active and passed that energy and knowledge along to the kids he taught.
"He brought a level of enthusiasm and commitment to seeing his students challenge themselves, grow, and succeed, which earned him the respect and affection of students, staff, and administrators alike. Clark was recognized by the Coeur d’Alene School District Board of Trustees as Teacher of the Month in February 2019," CDA Schools wrote in the post. He will be missed by so many inside our district and out.
A funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday, July 31 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, in Spokane Valley.
