Obituary of Edith Jean Clarke

Our beloved mother, Edith Jean Clarke, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 26th, 2022, at the age of 96. Edith was born in Portland, Oregon, on September 8th, 1925, to Dr. Oscar F. and Helen Willing. Edith had a love of the outdoors from an early age. She thrived at her family’s mountain property on the Salmon River, hiking and picking berries with her brother, Donald and her English Springer Spaniel, Patsy. She also loved spending time at her Aunt and Uncle’s farm in Estacada, riding horses with her cousin, Margaret. She often joined her father at the golf course retrieving golf balls from his daily practicing. She attended grade school at Duniway in Eastmoreland, went to high school at Washington, and college at both Reed College and Oregon State University, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. Edith had many interests, including mountain climbing as a member of the Mazamas, with whom she successfully summitted Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens. Edith had a love of music, particularly operas by Puccini such as Madam Butterfly and La Boheme, and was a volunteer for the Portland Opera guild for many years. Edith also enjoyed classical music and the Japanese arts of Bonsaii and Ikebana. She was an avid traveler, with trips to many countries in Europe, South America, Africa, Mexico and Canada, and much of the United States. Edith had a successful career with A T & T as a statistician until leaving to start a family with her husband, Harold, the love of her life. They were married for 38 years until his passing in 1992. While having many and varied interests, Edith’s greatest love was people. She made everyone feel like the most important person in the room. She was a great listener, and was genuinely interested in each person she met. She was incredibly generous with her time and her love. Edith is survived by her three children, Ted Clarke (Cathy), Doug Clarke (Kristi), and Sara Thurman (Scott), and by five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. There is no way to adequately express how deeply she will be missed, and she will never be forgotten.