Obituary of Patricia A. Clark

Patricia Ann Clark 1929 – 2016 Patricia Ann Clark passed away on November 29, 2016. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to a police officer father and a homemaker mother, Pat was the oldest of four children. As a young woman, Pat was adventurous and hard working. She took a job as a telephone office supervisor where the friendships she made lasted over sixty years. She lived and worked in Puerto Rico before she decided to return to the University of Michigan to earn her bachelor’s degree. It was there that she met a dashing young man who swept her off her feet and with whom she shared her life. She agreed to marry this persistent man, Jim Clark, after only six weeks, and to join him in Paris to be married at the local Hotel de Ville. They bought a Volkswagen bug, traveled through Europe, and brought the car home with them on a ship. She worked as an administrative assistant while he completed his doctorate, and typed his thesis as well. Pat set up their new home in Orono, Maine while Jim began his career at the University of Maine. They had three children, Pamela, Matthew and Timothy, while Patricia completed her bachelor’s degree in political science, graduating in 1975. Pat’s degree in political science served her well because her desire to help other people led her to serve on boards and committees, and to her election to the Orono Town Council. Her intelligence, drive and sense of fairness were valued by Orono voters as well as other Council members, who elected her their leader (i.e. Mayor) for a time. Pat and Jim left Orono in 1979 for Cortland, New York, when Jim became President at SUNY Cortland. Pat focused on supporting her children through their school years and volunteering to assist Cortland institutions and individuals, an effort that would last over 35 years. She worked with the Nu Sigma Chi sorority to restore its house and financial stability. She received the Distinguished Service Award from the United Way in 1996, where she was introduced as “this busy volunteer who can best be described as having the energy and idealism of youth, the concern of a mother, and the candid wisdom that is only found with age.” She received the College/Community Appreciation Award and was the Zonta Woman of Achievement in 1994. She was instrumental in the creation of the Cortland College Child Care Center in the 1990’s, where the atrium is named for her. She “adopted” several elderly ladies, bringing them meals and social interaction, and participated in the Fortnightly Club and the Homer Garden Club. Pat and Jim traveled the world together after retirement, enjoying Belize, Mexico, France, England, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, China, Russia (they were in Russia when the Berlin wall came down!) and even Cuba (they had to fly through Toronto!). On each of these trips they collected friends and stories, which they enthusiastically shared with others. Pat’s greatest source of happiness and satisfaction was her family. She was always supportive of her husband, three children, her eight grandchildren, and the many young people she nurtured along the way, including her foreign exchange students. Children brought her great joy. A pragmatist all her life, Pat would want her legacy to be that those who knew her would find ways to treasure family, life, humor and joy. Pat will be missed by her “current” husband Jim (her words), her daughter Pam and husband JP and children Dan and Megan; her son Matt and his wife Virginia and children Geoffrey, Quinton and Trevor; and her son Timothy and his wife Kimberly and children Samantha, Jack, Kaitlan, Caroline and Katherine; and her beloved sister Linda Kirvan. Calling hours will be Saturday, December 3, 2016, from 10 am to 12 pm at the Wright-Beard Funeral Home at 9 Lincoln Avenue in Cortland, New York. Funeral services will be privately held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of Pat’s charities — the United Way for Cortland County or the YWCA of Cortland— or a charity of your choice.