Obituary of Frances J. Clark

Frances J. Clark, 82, of Addison, passed away on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at Corning Center for Rehabilitation in Corning. Born in Lawrenceville, Pa on November 17, 1942, Fran was the daughter of Claude and Ruth Heffner Merrick. She attended Addison schools and was a 1960 graduate of Addison Central School. On May 6, 1961, Fran and Robert E. Clark were married at the Addison United Methodist Church. Bob survives, Early in their marriage, Bob was serving in the US Navy with Fran and their growing family following him from Naval base to Naval base. When leaving the Navy, they settled in Avon, and eventually relocating to their farm in Thurston and raised their family of five children. In 2016 they moved into Bob’s mother’s home to help care for Gladys in her final years. Fran, as a young woman had worked for Hopkins Dairy in Bath and Howard Johnson Restaurant in Painted Post. In the early 1980’s, she began a career of over 20 years as an inspector at Philips Lighting in Bath. Fran and Bob were members of the Addison United Methodist Church and the Campbell Methodist Church. This one… this one hurts. I was told once that grief is love with nowhere to go. It sits heavy because there was a lot of love there. It means so much seeing how many loved Fran, and to know she had left an imprint and shared her love with so many in return. To know Fran, was to know her love was as fierce as it was tender, it was as boundless as her fire. She was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. Reflecting back on old memories has been hard, to see just how much Parkinson’s had slowly and slowly taken from all of us over the years. We lost a wife, a mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, a friend. It is a great loss that a lot are feeling so deeply. Through all of us, though, she will live on. She can be found in the stories we tell our children. She is there in the laughs our family shares when reminiscing on our memories together. She is in the tears we are all shedding from missing her. She will be there on our saddest days and in our happiest moments. But more importantly she is alive in the love we all share because it started with her. There won’t be a second you aren’t missed, gram. You had so much love to give and I’m so lucky I know what that felt like to be loved by you. Surviving is Robert Clark, her husband of over 63 years, her children and their spouses, Terri and Joe Smith of Athens, TN, Sharon and Gary Mackley of Marietta, Pa, Robert and Julie Clark Jr. of Jasper, James and Kristy Clark of Ocklawaha, FL and Jodi Clark and Matthew Bond of Plainfield, CT, her grandchildren, Holly Rice, Jason (Tricia) Rice, Dillon (Connie) Smith, Amanda (Jason) Chimics, Joshua (Ariel) Smith, Heather (Tom Rogers) Mackley, Jennifer (Andrew) Burkholder, Lindsey Mackley, Andrea (Kyle) Pate, Stephen (Courtney) Clark, Makenzie (Dematrius) Hill, Kyla Clark, Kamryn Clark, Kristopher Clark, Kyle Clark, Ashleigh (Brandon) Molnar and Cassandra Miller, 23 great grandchildren, 1 great-great grandson, her sisters, Aletta Phillips of Chesterfield, VA and Joan Evingham of Thurston and several nieces and nephews. Fran was preceded in death by her father, Claude Merrick Sr., her mother, Ruth Heffner Merrick Strong, her step father, Edward Strong, her sisters, Adelia Emerson, Betty Chapin and Mary Aumick, her brothers, Claude Merrick Jr. and Duwayne Merrick . her niece Cathy Emerson and her nephews, Paul Aumick, Michael Emerson, Charles Emerson Jr and John Merrick. Friends may call on Friday, February 14 from 6-8 pm at the H.P. Smith & Son Funeral Home, 1607 Main St. Woodhull, NY. Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 11 am at the Addison United Methodist Church, Front St., Addison. Burial will follow in Addison Rural Cemetery.