Madeline Clark

CLARK, Madeline (nee Hornung), 97, on Thursday, February 18, 2016. Beloved wife of the late Donald C. Clark; loving mother of Karen (Tom) Woolsey, Donald C. Clark, Jr. and the late Jane Paynter (nee Clark); dear grandmother of Clark (Laura) Woolsey and Laura Woolsey; great grandmother of Grant Woolsey, Claire Woolsey, and Ryan Mohr; dear sister of Edward Hornung; dear cousin of Rae Meyer and Doris Knapp; dear aunt of Valerie Burns, Ron Hornung, Bruce Clark, Judy Darby, Dona Duff and Mason Clark; dear friend to many.

In her youth Mom liked to hike mountains in the Adirondacks. She was adventuresome and she once told me she had wanted to become a crime reporter. When she graduated Skidmore College with a degree in English, her thoughts turned to working in the advertising field. However, In her time there were not many opportunities open to a woman. She entered the work force and worked for Mr. Penny of JC Penny as a secretary. She fell in love with an artist, my dad, and married him during World War ll. She was a loving wife for 53 yrs,

She was a woman with the gift of hospitality and compassion.

One particular incident has always stood out as defining part of my mom. My younger sisters' friend became pregnant and married but her parents refused to come to the wedding. Mom heard about that and invited her to come to our home. Mom set a pretty table, fixed a nice dinner, and had us as a family celebrate their marriage.

Mom was quiet and always thinking of others. She was kindhearted, had a great sense of humor and a sharp mind.

I remember mom as my caregiver when I was ill and as my brownie and a girl scout leader. I also remember her love of the water and sailing.

She loved God’s creation especially the fall colors, the fragrance of lilacs and snow. In her later years she loved to do New York times crossword puzzles, read, play bridge, golf and bowl. Until the last years she was a hard lady to keep up with – she was ramrod straight and walked faster than most people. She was in a bowling league until she turned 92 and played golf till she was 90.

She grew up in Garden City, Long Island and as a child, spent summers in Meadowmere, Queens. Then in her teen years and until her children got out of high school she would spend her summers in Middleville, New Jersey at “the Farm” where she would take us for hikes through the brooks and woods.

She and Dad moved to Bradenton Florida in 1981 and she lived there independently until she was 93 and had to give up her driving due to the onset of blindness. She then moved in with us. We were blessed to have her with us for 4 1/2 years. She never complained and was the easiest person to live with even as she lost more and more of her sight. She was loved by my husband, and her family, and always looked forward to phone calls especially my brother’s weekly call.

It was our joy to have her with us. She was a mom to the end; the evening before she passed away she told me I was up too late and needed to get some rest! We loved her dearly. I am thankful to the Lord that He gave us such a wonderful mom for nearly 98 years.

SERVICES: A Celebration of Life will be held 10:00am on Saturday, March 19, 2016 in the Chapel at the First Evangelical Free Church 1375 Carman Rd., Manchester, MO 63021. In lieu of flowers, contributions are preferred to the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired 8770 Manchester Rd., St. Louis, MO 63144.