Obituary

Charlon C. Clark

Thu, 09/14/2017 - 11:45am

Charlon Cairns Clark, 84, of Boothbay Harbor, Maine and a former longtime resident of Westfield, New Jersey, died peacefully Aug. 31, 2017 at St. Andrews Village in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

She was born in Orange, New Jersey on Nov. 1, 1932, the second of three daughters, to John A. and Lois (Lee) Cairns.

Charlon and her sisters share wonderful memories of growing up in Short Hills, New Jersey, and vividly remember ice skating on a local pond in the winter and summer visits to family homes in Richmond and East Boothbay, Maine. It was in Boothbay where she met her lifelong love, Stanley, when they were teenagers. She and Stanley were married on Jan. 15, 1955. Charlon and Stanley lived in many places following Stan’s work in the steel business. They lived in LaGrange, Illinois, Shreveport, Louisiana, before making their longtime home in Westfield. There, their lives were busy and rich as they raised their three children in a community of wonderful friends and neighbors, always active with school, scouting, and sports activities as their children grew. Throughout their life together they spent summers at their beloved Ocean Point, They moved to Maine year-round in 2012.

Charlon always excelled in all of her pursuits. She graduated from the Baird School in South Orange, New Jersey and from Smith College in North Hampton, Massachusetts (1954). She was a passionate and committed volunteer at a number of hospitals, a member of the Junior League of Plainfield, New Jersey, Smith Club in Westfield, the Garden Club, and the Westfield Day Care Center, where she proudly served as president and worked tirelessly for the children. She had a fun and nurturing spirit, especially for children, and many young Ocean Pointers will long remember her gum drop jar, her memorable laugh, and the warm welcome she always gave them whenever they showed up on the doorstep.

Charlon had a deep love of music and was a long time choir member at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, summer choirs in Maine. In recent years, music continued to bring her comfort and joy.

She was predeceased by her husband, Stanley P. Clark Jr., and by a son, Bayard Clark.

She is survived by a son, Brooks Clark and his wife Tina of Buxton, Maine; daughter, Cathryn (Catie) Salmon and her husband Michael of Gloucester, Massachusetts; sisters, Joan Lancaster of Boothbay Harbor and Lee Havens and husband Phil of Little Compton, Rhode Island; grandchildren, Charlotte Salmon of Gloucester and Andrew Clark of Buxton; and several cherished nieces and nephews.

A memorial service to celebrate Charlon’s life will be at the Wilson Memorial Chapel, Ocean Point, on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. Should friends desire, contributions may be made in Charlon’s memory to Alzheimer’s Association, 383 U.S. Route One #2C, Scarborough, ME 04074.

You are invited to share your condolences with the Clark family by visiting their Book of Memories at www.hallfuneralhomes.com

Arrangements are entrusted to Hall’s of Boothbay Funeral Home, 975 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay.