AUGUSTA, Ga ()- The community is flooded with tributes for Brandon Clark, whose body was discovered last week on 12th Street in downtown Augusta. His unexpected passing has left a significant impact on those who knew him.
Clark, aged 40 and an Army veteran, frequently visited Thrive, a downtown Augusta organization dedicated to assisting individuals experiencing homelessness.
In conversations with NewsChannel 6, acquaintances of Clark described him as an exceptional individual.
“He was quiet. But yeah, like again, he carried an energy and a presence that you just can’t deny,” shared Anna Bradsher, a dedicated volunteer at Thrive.
“Brandon Michael Clark was a person. He was a person that was very loving, very kind, very, very giving,” added Minister Napoleon Houser, Founder and Director at Thrive.
Clark was only partially verbal, possibly stemming from brain injuries sustained during his time in the military. The people who knew him believe he had PTSD and other mental health issues as well. Bradsher told us there was more to Clark than met the eye.
“I’ve shared publicly already that I was a little bit afraid of him when I first met him. I didn’t really know him. I could see that there were some things going on for him emotionally and mentally. And so but once I got to know him, I was like, ‘Wow, he’s actually really kind and really sweet.’ And his presence was so affirming,” she explained.
Clark enjoyed attending church services and was a basketball star at the Academy of Richmond County. Bradsher shared one of her favorite memories of Clark.
“He kind of did this little like, peacock thing, where he would like walk around like this. So I was like I was like, ‘Hey, Brandon.’ And then it literally turned into a dance battle where there was, like, all everybody all around us,” she laughed. “People were, like, clapping and cheering. And I just–I just had fun with him.”
Houser told NewsChannel 6 he can’t remember a time Clark wasn’t there.
“I was in here speaking as though there was a full room. And all of a sudden, a neighbor across the street came in. And from that initial neighbor coming in, Brandon was probably I’m going to say number two. When he came in, he set down for Bible study and he never left.”
Houser said he cherished the time he got to spend with Clark and adds that he meant a lot to his community.
“He gave of himself. He volunteered here. Right? He swept floors. He mopped. He, I mean, he did all those things. And so his impact was immense,” he said.
Thrive hosting a memorial for Brandon Clark Friday night from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m at 1439 12th Street in Downtown Augusta.
Clark’s cause of death has not yet been determined and Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said he doesn’t have a time frame for when autopsy results will come back.