101 years young and still going strong, longtime Buda resident Cecil Clark celebrated his birthday last Thursday at Whataburger in Buda. Clark, who has 10 grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren, was born in the old Goforth Community, and left school when he was in the 7th grade to work on the family farm. During World War II, Clark worked at Camp Swift as a firefighter, where he worked 24 hour shifts.
Afterward, he and his wife, Wayne, owned their own grocery store along Main Street until 1970. For the past 40 years, Clark has worked as the caretaker for the Live Oak Cemetery in Buda. “[Working hard] is all I know. I’ve worked all my life,” Clark said. His story is the inspiration for family and friends who attended the event. “He thinks he should be 20 (years old),” Debbie Lyons said. “It’s amazing he is 101, and still works. I wish I had his genes.”
