Neighbour recounts how Royce Clark was found safe
It was the miracle people prayed for – that 84-year-old Royce Clark of Rosedale would be found alive, but as the days dragged on, hope was beginning to fade. There were worries about dehydration, as Clark went missing during a heatwave that enveloped the region with record-breaking temperatures.
After eight days of searching, news that Clark was found alive in a wooded area along an Irving trail near Grafton left people in the Upper River Valley elated and relieved.
Clark went missing shortly after running errands around Woodstock on Aug. 9. RCMP released images of Clark and his truck in the hopes that someone might recognize him and his vehicle.
On Aug. 17, Clark’s neighbour, Colton Weeks, got a message from his friend, Timmy Grant. Grant had been out four-wheeling with his fiancée when he ran across Clark’s truck.
Weeks notified Clark’s family, who informed the RCMP, and Weeks and Grant went to search the area around the vehicle before the RCMP’s K-9 unit and drones arrived.
“We made it to where Royce’s truck (which) was stuck, about 40-45 minutes back off the main road,” Weeks wrote in a social media post. The initial search around the vehicle came up empty.
“So we pulled Royce’s truck out of the ditch where the front end had slid off the road (in an attempt to turn it around), and myself, an RCMP (officer) that was driving Royce’s truck, and a fellow (in a) cruiser started making our way back out to the main road,” Weeks explained.
About 15 minutes later, Weeks saw Clark lying on the side of the road where they turned onto the trail.
“(He was) holding onto a walking stick. I jumped out and ran over and assured him he was safe and everything was going to be okay. He had lost his glasses and hearing aids at some point during his venture into the woods.”
Weeks and the RCMP officer got Clark into the vehicle, gave him water and worked to warm him up. They rushed him to the main road, where an ambulance was waiting.
“84-years-old, no glasses, no hearing aids, and eight days in the woods by yourself trying to get home with no food or water,” wrote Weeks. “The first thing he said to me… “My name’s Royce and I live in Rosedale. Can you take me home?” And even today, I wanna break down in tears thinking about it.”
Family members told the River Valley Sun that Clark said he got the truck stuck while he was out for a drive and was upset with himself. He walked along some of the wood roads, hoping someone might drive by. In the end, he couldn’t find his way back to his truck and lost his glasses and hearing aids during the journey. He told medical personnel that he had found a bit of water and stayed with it, knowing it was the key to his survival. He said he also did a lot of praying.
In his social media post, Weeks thanked Grant and his fiancée for finding the truck and getting in touch with him. He also thanked the RCMP for their efforts in following leads and actively searching for more than a week.
“Me and Royce aren’t close at all. We’re neighbours who, if he needs a hand, he knows he can call me, and likewise with him and Alvin. But I’m beyond grateful to see him found alive and hopefully back home soon,” said Weeks.
Clark spent nine days in the hospital before returning to Rosedale, where he lives with his oldest son, Alvin.
“He’s not too bad,” said Alvin, when reached by the River Valley Sun. “We are waiting on his hearing aids and glasses now. They’ve been ordered.”
Alvin said his dad “seems pretty good” and echoed what everyone else has been saying about his father’s ordeal.
“He’s a miracle man,” he said, with a chuckle, before becoming more serious.
“I have no doubt that mom was looking down over his head, and the Lord was right there beside her. It was one of those things where we were really lucky we found him when we did, because another day and things would have been different,” said Alvin.
Royce’s son said that once his father was found alive, he knew he’d be okay.
“He made it this far; he ain’t going to die on me now,” said Alvin.
