Peter Michael Lark of Lorane passed away of natural causes at his home on Aug. 9, 2022. Pete will join his parents Al and Alice, brothers Lawrence, Robert and James and sister Barbara in Heaven.
Born on Feb. 7, 1943, Pete was the fifth son of Al and Alice. Like all the Larks, Pete was very smart and a bit eccentric. A self-proclaimed psychic and astrologer, he would delight and astound people with his knowledge. He always loved cars. He made his living for many years as the owner of an automotive parts company but his love of cars stretches back to being a Detroit boy.
Pete graduated from Cass Tech High School in Detroit. He studied briefly at Wayne State University before joining the Air Force. During his assignment at the Portland base, he met his wife Fran and eventually they married and Pete became father to her four children.
After a move back to Detroit with his new family, he worked for Ford Motor Company and GM for several years. Pete completed his engineering degree in 1969 at Portland State University. Eventually the family moved to Missoula, Mont. for a time, then back to Oregon, settling in a house in Lorane. Pete and Fran divorced in the mid-1980s and Pete continued to live in their residence in Lorane.
Pete traveled a lot around the Northwest to serve the many customers of his company AtoZ Automotive. One of the things he did on his many miles of travel was buy old cars. To mention a few, the collection included a very cool 1975 two-tone turquoise and white Chevy El Camino that he sold to his brother-in-law Harlan; a Maserati sedan; a couple of Corvettes; and a Mercedes or two. Pete maintained his business warehouse in Eugene where he kept his inventory for his company.
Pete’s family is very sad at the thought of not seeing him again in the physical sense. Nonetheless, he will always be remembered for his right wing political views, his amusing conspiracy theories and extraterrestrial stuff. Pete was an interesting character; he worked hard and built his business, he stayed busy, he did the best he could with the challenges of taking care of his son as a single parent.
Pete is survived by his son Brian of Lorane; a brother Richard (Shirley) of Salem, S.C.; sisters Kathleen (Richard) of Scottsdale, Ariz., Virginia (Harlan) of Los Angeles, Calif. and Christine of Los Angeles, Calif; and countless nephews and nieces.
Pete will be laid to rest at the Roseburg National Cemetery. Arrangements by Lane Memorial Funeral Home.
We will miss him.
