LAUREL — Family members, friends, and residents of the Yellowstone County community gathered in Laurel Saturday morning to celebrate the life of Kaj Clarke. The beloved food truck operator of Crazy Taco MT lost his life on Sept. 29 to health struggles.
"Vibrant, energetic, loving, accepting, humble. Just an infectious smile, creative, tender," said Clarke's mother Greta Jensen in Laurel Saturday. Jensen flew from California to be with Clarke before he passed.
Jensen, along with Clarke's uncle Torben Rasmussen and cousin Jesse Carlson, donned pink for Clarke's celebration of life.
“This is totally his happy spot so he would be really happy right now,” Rasmussen said.
Clarke moved to the Billings area six years ago from California.
"I think he was following a dream. He definitely was following a dream, and it didn't quite work out the way he thought it would, but at the end of the day, it worked out better," said Jensen.
Clarke had struggled with alcohol addiction for much of his life but had been sober for the past three years.
"I think like most people that have this type of journey, when they leave the comforts of home and family, the amount of growth that happens internally, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally is massive," said Carlson.
He channeled that growth into Crazy Taco MT.
"Cooking was his passion, his purpose. And he was so happy. It didn't matter how many dishes he had to wash afterwards or what kind of a mess he made. He just did it. It was all kind of all about the moment," said Jensen.
Laurel resident Rebecca Peterson met Clarke years ago after frequenting his food truck.
"He had the biggest, most giving heart of anybody I've ever met in my entire life," Peterson said. "His mom, his uncles, cousin, all of us who loved him like family, we want to give crazy tacos to the community."
Fans of Clarke's were fed with the recipes that they know and love.
"This is their first time getting to say goodbye. This is their first time getting to breathe face to face with this," said Peterson. "Just our last chance to give back to the community and be like here's a bit more Crazy Taco for you."
For Clarke's family, the support from the community has been uplifting throughout the whole process.
"I am so incredibly grateful for this community. And for the fact that they embraced his crazy energy. And that allowed Kaj to really be who he was. Which we all need," Jensen said. "He found his niche. He found his purpose. And how many people can say that? How many people can say they found their purpose in life?"
Clarke's family is still dealing with medical bills after his hospital stay. To donate to his GoFundMe, click here.
