John Clark Closser, 78, shot straight down to Hell on the sunny Saturday afternoon of November 23, 2024, in Springfield, Missouri.  He was born November 26, 1945, to Wilbur and Helen Closser, who raised him and his sister in a modest home on Valentine Street in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Clark was a voracious reader and a gifted public speaker whose calling was to teach.  He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where the great Ben Kimpel once called him a "natural born teacher."  Clark was a professor of English for Missouri State University for over 30 years, beloved for his memorable lectures at once humorous and poignant.  Former students have confided that when registration opened, they immediately sought out a "Closser class."  His charisma and passion for literature were infectious, and his encyclopedic grasp of source material was profound.  One could not hold a conversation with Clark without an insightful reference to a literary work or a sonorous recitation of a relevant poem committed to memory.  The breadth of knowledge that dies with him is unimaginable.

Clark's numerous talents included writing, dancing, painting, music, and theatre.  In addition to literature, he was a scholar of history, culture, art, and the Bible.  Few could tell a story as well as he could.  He was a Renaissance man and a rock and roller, a poet and a man of letters, a sinner and an Eagle Scout.  Clark was one of a kind, and he will be missed.

He is survived by his sister, Vicki Gershner of Roland, Arkansas, as well as his three sons, John Clark Hotspur Closser of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Cole Brinton Closser of Springfield, Missouri, and Christopher Slaght Closser of Jacksonville, Florida.

A private memorial will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your local PBS or NPR station.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Midwest Cremation and Funeral Services of Springfield, MO.