Alice Palmer Clingan of Beverly Hills, wife of the late Calvin C. Clingan, passed away peacefully on June 3 with her family at her side.
Alice was born in Providence RI to Margaret Creasey Palmer and Forrest Bradbury Palmer on June 22, 1927. Her maternal grandmother Alice Creasey's farm in Belfast ME was home during her formative years, and she traveled cross-country just after her sixteenth birthday to live with her mother in Miami FL before graduating from Miami High School in August 1944. She had just met the love of her life Cal, an Army private from Oyster Bay NY, who was stationed in Miami.
Cal's wartime service and Alice's enlistment in the US Cadet Nurse Corps kept them mostly apart for three years until her graduation from the CNC, even as their love deepened through letters and all-too-infrequent visits. On February 1, 1948, the day after receiving her nursing certification, Alice and Cal were married in Birmingham AL and honeymooned in New Orleans before moving to Oyster Bay NY to live. Buying their own home in Glen Cove NY the following year, they raised three children as Cal worked as a house painter and Alice continued in nursing. She received her BS in Nursing from Adelphi College in 1958 and a Master's degree in Education in 1978 from C. W. Post College as she became first a health educator and then a special education teacher in Glen Cove schools. She and Cal were active members of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in nearby Sea Cliff NY.
Alice was a pioneer in several areas of education; in 1962 she was both a teacher and a nurse at one of the first schools dedicated to physically handicapped children, founded by Henry Viscardi, Jr., on Long Island. Later, she was among the first to introduce the use of mainframe computers in Special Education classes in public schools. Well before the birth of the internet, she helped others to explore their family ancestry through genealogical research.
After raising their son and two daughters, Alice and Cal were blessed with seven grandchildren to visit them in Glen Cove. Their vacations grew from fishing and boating on Long Island to longer trips by trailer and then motor home, including a 1969 cross-country odyssey through several National Parks with three children and a dog, and an epic six-week drive by themselves through the Yukon into Alaska. They searched for a place to build their retirement home and found it in Beverly Hills, moving after 40 years in April 1989 to the second house they ever owned, and welcoming visits from children, grandchildren, and in December 2000 their first great-grandchild.
In 1995, Alice and Cal joined a small dedicated band who were determined to establish Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in their corner of Citrus County. Alice began yet another new career as a Senior Warden and Lay Episcopal Minister, among other responsibilities. Her lifelong dedication to health directed her involvement in the Order of St. Luke and parish health outreach. She was especially proud of the new parish's dedication to service to the larger community.
Cal's passing in June 2011 was followed three years later by the loss of her daughter Margaret “Peg” Francis. Alice is survived by her son Tom (Carol) Clingan of Cohoes NY, her daughter Kathy (John) Harrington of Beverly Hills, grandchildren Jerry Francis of Germantown MD, Victoria (Lundy Labuda) Clingan of Cohoes, Carrie Clingan of Friendship Heights MD, Kelly Francis of Ocala, Kate Clingan of Guilderland NY, Heather (Clint) Mathison of Covington LA, Allie Clingan of Los Angeles CA, and great-grandson Hunter Francis of Ocala.
Alice's family would like to acknowledge the care provided by Cedar Creek Assisted Living Residence, Citrus Memorial Hospital, Grand Living at Citrus Hills, and especially Dr. Meena Nathan and the exceptional staff at HPH Hospice during her final months and years.
A celebration of Alice Clingan's life will be held at Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, 2540 West Norvell Bryant Hwy, Lecanto FL on Saturday June 8, 2019, at 10 AM, followed by interment at Fero Memorial Gardens in Beverly Hills. Relatives and friends may call at Fero Funeral Home, 5955 N Lecanto Hwy, Beverly Hills, on Friday June 7 from 5 to 7 PM. In lieu of flowers, Alice's family requests donations in her name be made to Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, 2450 West Norvell Bryant Hwy, Lecanto FL 34461.
“Not for just an hour, not for just a day, not for just a year, but Always.”
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