Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has announced the death of her father, Frederick George Clark, who passed away peacefully at his home in Waihi Beach on 6 December. He was in his 104th year.

In a public statement on Facebook, Clark said she and her sisters were sharing the news with “immense sadness,” describing their father as a devoted family man and a much loved figure in both the Te Pahu and Waihi Beach communities.

George Clark was the husband of the late Margaret Helen Clark for 62 years, and father and father in law to Helen and Peter, Suzanne and Allan, Jenefer and Bruce, and Sandra. He was grandfather to eight grandchildren and great grandfather to nineteen.

Born in Frankton on 8 March 1922, he grew up in a farming family at Te Pahu, attended Kaniwhaniwha Primary School and Mt Albert Grammar School, and later returned to manage the family farm until his retirement in 1987, when he and his wife moved to Waihi Beach.

Clark said her father had always supported his daughters and remained active in community life, serving on local committees in Te Pahu and the Waikato and contributing to conservation work at Waihi Beach.

She said the family was deeply grateful to his carers, Waipuna Hospice, the Waihi Beach Medical Centre, the local chemist, and the many friends and relatives who supported him, especially as his health declined in recent years.

A public celebration of his life will be held at the Waihi Beach RSA on Monday 15 December at 1.00 pm, followed by interment at the Waihi Public Cemetery. Charles Waldegrave will officiate the service.

The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Waipuna Hospice and St John Ambulance in recognition of the support they provided.