OGDEN, Utah, July 31, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Funeral services have been set for two Weber County couples killed Wednesday in a small plane crash on Interstate 15.
Perry Huffaker, 45 and Ogden City’s director of parks, will be memorialized along with his wife, Sarah Payne Huffaker, 42, at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Ogden Tabernacle.
Services for Layne and Diana Clarke, of Taylor, ages 48 and 46, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the same location.
“How do you sum up two amazing people’s lives in just a few short paragraphs?,” says a shared obituary for the Huffakers, of West Haven. “This beautiful couple was taken from us suddenly on July 26, 2017, in a tragic plane crash along with their good friends Layne and Diana Clark on I-15 in Ogden, UT. Perry and Sarah Huffaker were wonderful, courageous people who touched many circles of life.”
The couples, longtime friends, had just taken off from Ogden-Hinckley Airport on Wednesday for a planned Idaho vacation when something went wrong with the single-engine plane, flown by owner and experienced pilot Layne Clarke.
The Beechcraft A36 Bonanza took a nosedive about a half-mile from the airport, and crashed into the median of I-15 in Roy, near Riverdale Road. The impact and explosion killed all four aboard and incinerated the plane. No one on the busy roadway was injured.
For Layne Clarke, the crash came 15 years and nine days after the gyroplane-crash death of older brother Corry Clarke after take off from the same airport.
“They were best friends, inseparable in life and now united in death,” said an obituary for Layne Clarke. “Layne had such a kind heart and was found serving those around him. He was a very devoted, son, brother, father and “papa.” Nothing meant more to Layne than his family.”
Wife Diana Wilcox Clark was remembered much the same way.
“Diana was a very loving daughter, sister, wife, mother and ‘nana,’” her obituary says. “She was always a peacemaker and loved bringing people together.”
The obituary for the Huffakers mentions their blind-date meeting, service to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and their four children, two of whom are serving LDS missions.
“To say Perry and Sarah had a great sense of humor is a ridiculous understatement; those two could make you laugh until your face hurt,” the obituary said. “They loved to travel and create memories with their children. They were both highly competitive, whether riding a bike or playing a board game, neither one could bear to lose. The smack talking that would ensue was always entertaining.”
Layne Clarke will also be remembered for service and commitment to the LDS Church, and as a great father to the couple’s four children, his obituary says.
“He was always looking for the next adventure for his family,” it says. “He loved to travel with his sweetheart and went to many incredible places. He believed in living life to the fullest. It was always his goal to ensure that life was to be celebrated. Life was always an adventure in ‘Layne’s World,’ he made sure that any activity he was part of, was an unforgettable experience for those involved.”
Diana Clarke’s obituary mentioned the doomed plane’s destination.
“Her favorite thing to do was to spend time with her family at their cabin in Island Park, Idaho,” it says. “As a loving mother, she worked tirelessly alongside her children teaching them the importance of service, hard work, kindness, patience, charity, and love. These are the attributes that defined her life.”
For full information on the Huffakers’ visitation, service and interment, click here. For the same information on the Clarkes’ visitation and service, click here.
