Tears, coffee flow as popular diner eulogized at Waffle House

JEFFERSON, Ga. -- When Lawrence "Tuna" Clark died without many relatives to eulogize him, the folks at the Waffle House where he ate once a day took matters into their own hands and had a funeral for him at the restaurant.

About three dozen waitresses, cooks and customers gathered Thursday to remember Clark, who was known to many as "the Waffle House taxi service" because he drove people to work when they didn't have transportation.

"We wouldn't have jobs without him. Where would our kids be without him?" asked Belinda Cole, who attended the funeral as friends and family told stories and looked at photos of Clark with his closest relatives -- a niece and her children.

Clark's cremated remains were placed on the hood of a Chevrolet parked in his favorite parking space. Large boards displaying family photos were covered with funeral wreaths and loose flowers.

Inside the restaurant, Clark's niece set up his favorite chair with his jacket slung on the back. Black coffee, milk and cigarettes sat on the counter.

Clark, a 67-year-old bachelor, died last Friday after a prolonged illness.

Waitress Terri Treadaway gave thanks to Clark for driving her to the Highway 129 Waffle House every day for three months when her car was broken. He was known for ordering scrambled eggs on lightly toasted bread, but he would eat just about anything on the menu.

"You could go from Braselton to the South Carolina line, and people in Waffle House will know him," Treadaway said.

One of the reasons he went to so many of the restaurants was that he continued to help Waffle House employees he knew even after they got transferred or moved.

"He touched the life of every person he met," Bicksler said.

Waffle House Vice President Pat Warner said Thursday's restaurant funeral was the first he'd heard of. But he wasn't surprised a longtime customer had developed such strong ties to the restaurant staff.

"Each of our 1,400 locations is like a family -- a family of the associates and a family of them and their regulars," he said.