Rev. Leon William "Sonny" Clark

Rev. Leon William "Sonny" Clark died on 9 September 2026 at the age of 72. The cause of death was not publicly disclosed. California Black Media journalist Bo Tefu reported the news for Precinct Reporter, with syndication through Black Press USA.

A wake was scheduled for Thursday 1 October 2026 from 4 to 8 p.m. at New Spirit Baptist Church, 701 S. Sullivan St. in Santa Ana, including a remembrance service from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A Celebration of Life was set for Friday 2 October at Friendship Baptist Church, 17145 Bastanchury Road in Yorba Linda, with viewing from noon and the service at 1 p.m. Burial was planned for Monday 5 October at 10:15 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery.

Leon William Clark was born on 2 October 1953 in Bennettsville, South Carolina. He later became known as Sonny. After serving in the United States Navy, he settled into a life of ministry and community work in Southern California.

Those early years shaped the blend of discipline and service that marked his later career. Family remained central: he married Andrea Joyles Clark and together they raised six children while he moved through successive pastorates across Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties.

Clark entered formal ministry at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Altadena in 1978. In 1980 he acknowledged a call to preach and delivered his first sermon. He then served Second Baptist Church in Riverside, Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Rubidoux, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Pomona and Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda.

In November 2003 New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana called him as pastor. He led that congregation for more than 22 years, combining preaching with counseling and mentoring. Outside the pulpit he worked with the Orange County Heritage Council, supported the Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival, sat on the Interfaith Committee and with the Orange County Transit Authority, and served as president of the Orange County Ministers Conference.

Public recognition followed. The City of Santa Ana honoured his contributions in 2024. He received the Orange County Southern Baptist Association Hall of Faith Award and was previously named Pastor of the Year by the Orange County Heritage Council.

Clark was married to Andrea Joyles Clark. Their children are Shawn Williams, Le Ondra Clark Harvey, Kyla Coward, Joshua Clark, Marissa Clark and Ashley Clark. He was survived by grandchildren and great-grandchildren, siblings, extended family and the New Spirit Baptist Church congregation.

Friends and congregants associated him with a practical creed he often repeated: start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. That line later appeared in obituaries as a summary of how he approached ministry and civic work.

Clark left a long record of pastoral leadership in Orange County's African American churches and of civic work that linked faith communities to public institutions. Two decades at New Spirit Baptist Church, service as president of the Orange County Ministers Conference, and recognition from the City of Santa Ana and the Orange County Heritage Council marked him as a local public figure whose influence reached beyond a single congregation.

Those who worked with him remembered counseling, mentoring and steady presence at heritage and interfaith events. The guiding line he shared, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can," remains the phrase most often used to describe his approach to ministry.