Eleanore E. Clarke of Spotsylvania County died Sunday, April 15, 2012, at age 90 peacefully in her sleep at home, surrounded by her loving family.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Arthur V. Clarke of Spotsylvania; three daughters, Darlene Ann Martz Fraser and husband David of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and Holly Spaulding and husband Andrew and Heidi Clarke-Egan and husband Brian, all of Spotsylvania; four grandchildren, Alexander Clarke Spaulding, Annalori Spaulding Ferrell, David Fraser Jr. and John Brian Fraser; and one great-granddaughter, Darby Fraser. She also had several special nieces and nephews with whom she remained close.
Eleanore was born Aug. 24, 1921, to Emma Lihl Beu and Gustave Beu in Manhattan. Eleanore was married from 1941 to 1950 to James L. Martz until he was killed in a military flying mission over Tripoli. Eleanore married Arthur V. Clarke, originally from Pearl River, N.Y., on Oct. 10, 1953. He was her devoted and loving husband for the last 59 years.
Eleanore attended Nyack High School in Nyack, N.Y., Pace College in New York and the University of Rhode Island. She had a vast career. Eleanore was director of the Rockland County Heart Association in the 1960s and retired as a mortgage financing specialist with the Navy Federal Credit Union in Newport, R.I. Eleanore was also an accomplished decorator, and there were many grateful beneficiaries of her other talents, including entertaining, cooking, nurturing, leading by example and many more.
One of the great joys of her life was sailing with her family in Narragansett Bay and trips to Block Island and Nantucket, off the coast of Newport. After 33 years in Portsmouth, R.I., they moved to Virginia to be close to their daughters and grandchildren. Eleanore retained her irrepressible strength throughout her difficult trial of the past year and has passed it along as a legacy that will endure to all whom she touched.
Eleanore had a wake at Hanneneman Funeral Home in Nyack on Wednesday, April 18. A Mass was celebrated at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, Nyack, on Thursday, April 19, followed by interment in Oak Hill Cemetery on a beautiful clear day in Nyack, overlooking her beloved Hudson River.