Clark, Marion Louise Averill

Marion Louise Averill Clark 

May 24, 1924 – March 17, 2023

“An angel on Earth has departed for the heavens.  We will be forever grateful for all she gave to us and the many lessons we learned.”

Marion Clark was born in Rochester, New York, to Wilbur Averill and Marie Hubertus.  She had three sisters and one brother:  Robert Wittman, Ruth Lafferty Berns, Catherine Bane , and Betty Austin as well as several nieces and nephews.  For many years they stayed close and enjoyed intermittent gatherings and friendships.

Marion was part of the Greatest Generation.  In their early years, many entered service for World War II.  Marion, like hundreds of others, would endure tragedy from the War.  Marion had been engaged to a young gentleman, Tommy, who went off to fight in the war.  Sadly, he was killed in battle.  Marion carried his picture and the memories of the results of war throughout her lifetime.

Marion was never one not to look forward to what could be.  She went on to meet a World War II Navy Lieutenant, George Fox Clark. On August 21, 1954, she and George were married.  With George, came an even larger family.  She had new brother- and sister-in laws that she cherished forever:  Jean Clark and Robert Popp, Harold (Bud) and Bonnie Clark, Robert and Kaye Clark, Thomas and Delores Clark, and Emmy Clark and William Young.  Marion and George did not have children of their own.  However, they had 21 nieces and nephews.  To this day the nieces and nephews can remember her smile, her joy and enthusiasm.  “She was the one that always brought stuffed animals to family gatherings for the children to enjoy,” said one.  “She used to drive us to the zoo or movies in her convertible and for some reason we all sang ‘Yes, we have no bananas’ at the top of our lungs,” said another.  

As a Rochester resident, she started her career at Eastman Kodak Company.  Those were the days of film and she helped at their operations center at Kodak Park.  However, Marion then decided that she wanted to be a nurse.  For that, her patients were forever blessed.    She worked at Rochester General Hospital for several years and helped them move to their new location.  She then went to St. John’s Home for twenty- two years and would become Director of Nursing.  According to her retirement announcement:   “A chronology of Clark’s career is also a visit into the rich history of the Home, which is infused with her accomplishments.  ‘Marion’ played a key role in the design features of the skilled nursing facility which opened in 1972 and the health-related facility which opened in 1975.  Her technical and humanistic perspective focused on fostering maximum independence for residents.  After researching technical journals for key items such as sink heights, corridor widths and handrail shapes, Clark approached one of the most valuable resources – the residents themselves.  These discussions resulted in modifications that continue to serve the Home today.”

Upon retirement, she moved to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, with her husband George.  There they enjoyed golfing, the ocean, walks along trails lined with beautiful flora (and no snow from her native Rochester).  They also enjoyed going out to dinner and dancing.  One location they enjoyed was the Sea Palms.  There, Marion, met a wonderful singer, Keenan Carter, whose music she would enjoy the rest of her life.  She loved his music so much that George, after Keenan had given Marion a cassette tape (remember those?) of his music, said he had to buy Marion a new car as she needed a tape deck to listen to Keenan’s music when she was driving!  (He was only kidding as she needed the new car anyways).

We’re not sure if Marion adopted Keenan or he adopted “Aunt Marion”, but their friendship would last 40+ years.  Marion continued to go out dancing when Keenan and his band would sing, including after George’s death in 1986.  After George’s death, Marion was blessed to enjoy a great friendship with Howard Snoddy.  Howard and his wife, Loretta, had been great friends with George and Marion for many years.  Upon Loretta’s death, Howard and Marion would go on to enjoy all that St. Simon had to offer – including going to hear Keenan sing!

If there, indeed, are lifelong ‘groupies’ of musicians, Aunt Marion was Keenan’s biggest fan.  Rumor has it there are several notebooks of pictures she gathered about the fun times she had.  We know there are times when she was up singing with the band.  And we’ve seen pictures of her dancing away with former St. John’s co-workers who came to visit.  If she was of the TikTok or Facebook era, we’re sure she would have started his fan club pages!

Keenan, his wife Monica, and their three children:  Baker, Logan and Hudson would become Marion’s second family.  Marion would become godmother to all three children.  Her smiles, joy for life, and fun nature would touch all of them as these qualities had for others.  Aunt Marion was there for their birthdays, their graduations and to share life long lessons.  Baker and Logan are now both attending college for health-related careers.  Hudson has time to think about a career, but no doubt Marion will be an influence.  Whether for her executive and caring leadership in a hospital or just for her fun and enthusiastic nature, she will continue to touch lives.  Keenan and his family were instrumental in caring for Aunt Marion in her later years, including frequent visits to see her as she, herself, entered a nursing home.  She entered nursing care in St. Simons, but then moved to Hospice Care at Hayesville House in Hayesville, North Carolina, a beautiful area near Lake Chatuge and the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountain Region.

A graveside service will be held for Marion on April 6, 2023, at 1 PM at Pine Hill Cemetery, Rush, NY, where she will be buried by her husband of 30+ years.

Memorial donations, in her name, could be directed to those that cared for her and those shaped her life:  Staff Recognition Fund, Hayesville House, 480 Old Highway 64 W, Hayesville NC, 28904. or St. William Catholic Church, 2300 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island, GA 31522.  Alternatively, she would want people to donate to local hospitals and nursing facilities for Recognition Funds for aides, caregivers, and nurses to give them a ‘little extra’ for their service (e.g., a gift card for coffee or lunch, or a gift card for gas), or other small recognition for those that continue her caring ways.

God Bless you Aunt Marion.  You will forever be in our hearts!