Our mother, Julia Campbell Clark, passed away peacefully Saturday evening October 1, 2022, at her home in Rincon Point, California. Mom joins her beloved husband of 69 years, our father, Alfred M. Clark, Jr., who pre-deceased her on March 29, 2020. Mom was born May 31, 1925 in the Village of Poland, Ohio to Robert L. and Martha Gibson Campbell. She was the oldest of four sisters, and she, her mother and siblings, Becky, Gwen-Ann and Janie, were direct descendants of the original settlers of northeastern Ohio after the Revolutionary War. She graduated from Poland Seminary High School and then received her bachelor’s degree from Lake Erie College. After college she returned to Poland to teach in the schools that she and her sisters had attended.
Mom and Dad were married on January 26, 1952, and they settled into their first home in Youngstown, Ohio. In support of Dad’s career as a sales executive, they subsequently moved to Bronxville, New York; Riverside, Connecticut; Ladue, Missouri and eventually settled down in San Marino, California. Quite a series of life changes for a person who lived her first 25 years in one place, a place where her family had lived for over 150 years. Mom and Dad moved to their home at Rincon Point in Carpinteria in 1992. Although separated from her sisters geographically, they remained close and supported each other throughout their lives.
Mom is survived by her four children, Julie Burge (Jim), Al III (Sue), Jennie and David (Angelica), seven grandchildren, Andrew Burge (Caitie), John Clark (Loreli), David Burge (Janessa), Steve Clark (Jackie), Jane Clark, Alexandra Clark and Natalie Clark, as well as three great-grandchildren, Mateo Clark, Eduardo Clark and Tennison Burge. She is also survived by her sister, Janie Nash, and numerous nieces and nephews. Regular visits from her family, highlighted by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, had been a source of great joy for Mom.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the frequent moves, Dad, her children and her faith in God were always Mom’s principal focus. She supported us in school and in sports, on endless beach holidays, and instilled in all her children her love of reading, which she shared with Dad. We never doubted her unconditional love and selfless commitment to each of us, our spouses and children, which extended to our friends who were always made to feel welcome in her home.
We acknowledge how fortunate we have been to have experienced the love and partnership of our parents, and understand that Mom’s endless love, strong faith and values, including humility, gratitude and responsibility, will continue in us for the rest of our lives.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mom’s name can be made to the San Marino Community Church, 1750 Virginia Rd, San Marino, CA 91108, where she and Dad worshipped for decades and where Mom taught Sunday School for years, or to the charity of your choice.
