OBITUARY Lucille S. Clark March 26, 1924 – December 16, 2018 Lucille Clark died on Sunday, December 16 at the OceanView retirement community in Falmouth. She was born Esther Lucille Sommer on March 26, 1924, in Peoria, Illinois, the first child of Daniel Philip Sommer and Winifred Baker Sommer. The large Sommer family were originally Mennonites who had immigrated to the American Midwest.
Lucille’s great-grandfather and his sons had devised a method for manufacturing wire fences and established the Keystone Steel and Wire Company in Peoria. Lucille (as she was known since childhood) graduated from Peoria High School in 1941 and MacMurray College in 1945. She received a Master of Arts degree in History from Duke University in 1947, having written a thesis on debtor issues in the Civil War.
She briefly taught high school in Virginia, where she was told that this conflict should be referred to as the War Between the States. At Duke, Lucille met Frank Eugene Clark. They were married in Peoria in 1948, and were rarely apart for the next 66 years.
They lived for two years in New Orleans and then settled in New Jersey, where Gene taught Mathematics at Rutgers University. In 1955, Lucille and Gene and their growing family moved to Westfield, NJ, about halfway between Rutgers and New York City, and they visited the city often for Broadway shows, classical music concerts, and other cultural activities. They were active members of the large Presbyterian Church in Westfield, singing in the choir, leading youth programs, and serving on many other boards and committees.
Lucille was elected a Presbyterian Elder, unusual for women at that time. For a number of years, Lucille had a staff position as Director of Creative Worship, leading the integration of drama and other arts into modern Christian services, and often writing or directing the programs. All this was a long way from the traditional German church she had attended with her grandmother, but it gave her the opportunity to befriend and mentor people of all ages.
Many remembered fondly this generous, red-headed, left-handed, unflappable extravert who loved the color purple, and stayed in touch over the years. The Clarks had a summer home in Bay Head, NJ, which was a memorable vacation destination not only for their own four children and other family members, but also for many friends and colleagues from Westfield, Rutgers, and further away. When they were not living in Westfield, that house was often shared with the church to be a temporary home for the families of ministers, refugees, and other international visitors.
Lucille and Gene enjoyed traveling and meeting people from other cultures, often in connection with their church work. In 1975-76, Lucille taught elementary school in Kenya while Gene was Visiting Professor for a sabbatical year at the University of Nairobi. After retiring from Rutgers in 1985, Gene was also Visiting Professor at DeLaSalle University in Manila, Philippines, for a year.
While they were there, Lucille taught high school history again, and witnessed history being made during the dramatic “People Power” revolution. Eventually, the attraction of grandchildren proved irresistible, so Lucille and Gene moved to the Wildwood neighborhood of Cumberland in 1993. They became active members of Woodfords Congregational Church in Portland, again singing in the choir and working with youth programs.
In 2006, they moved to OceanView, and Lucille continued to live there after Gene’s death in 2014. In her final years, Lucille enjoyed her role as matriarch. She welcomed new family members through the marriages of her grandchildren and the arrival of great-grandchildren, whose pictures always decorated her apartment door.
An avid reader who kept up with current events, she said she did not mind getting old, “as long as I am still learning”. Only the last year of her life was clouded by the onset of macular degeneration and colon cancer. In addition to Gene, Lucille was preceded in death by their son Daniel in 2005.
She is survived by her brother John D. (Jack) Sommer of Oxford, Ohio, her son David and wife Susan of Falmouth, her daughter Carolyn Heasly and husband Joseph Heasly of Portland, her daughter Margaret of Portland, Daniel’s widow Jennie Clark of Gorham, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and a beloved extended family. Lucille’s family is grateful for the skillful and compassionate care she received from doctors and nurses, as well as the entire staff at OceanView. A private burial service will take place in Westfield, NJ.
A memorial gathering of family and friends will be planned for the springtime in Maine. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Maine State Library Outreach Program for the Blind and Physically Disabled, 64 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333. To offer your condolences and to sign Lucille’s online guestbook, please visit www.
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