Funeral date for Adelaide pilot Gary Clarke revealed

A funeral date has been set for a popular 56-year-old Adelaide pilot, who was killed earlier month while crossing a freeway in California.

A beloved Adelaide pilot killed on a US freeway will be farewelled by friends and family at a service this Thursday.

Gary Clarke was struck by a car while crossing a freeway in Sacramento, California, on May 4 – just two weeks before he was planning to come home to Adelaide on May 18.

His funeral service is due to be held on May 30 at Berry’s Funeral Home in Norwood, followed by a wake at the Bath Hotel on The Parade.

South Australian helicopter pilot Gary Clarke will be laid to rest next week. Picture: Facebook

Mr Clarke, also known as “Jelly Bean”, has been described as a “hero” who lived “an amazing adventurous life” by his family.

His sister Jo Clarke Winter earlier paid tribute to her brother on social media, describing him as “my hero, and my idol”.

“I held him so high on the pedestal he touched the clouds. He lived an amazing adventurous life doing just what he wanted to do,” she wrote.

The 56-year-old’s wife Karen Clarke, who reportedly learned of her husband’s death after a Google search of his name, told media her late husband was “the most sociable man I’d ever met”.

The pair have two children, a son and a daughter named Bailey and Lauren.

A GoFundMe set up by a family friend on behalf of his wife has exceeded its target of $40,000, raising more than $43,000.

The fundraiser was created to help the family bring Mr Clarke’s body back to Adelaide, an exercise that could cost up to $50,000.