Bettie Orr Hunter Clark

A fifth generation Charlottean, Bettie was born December 16, 1932 in Charlotte, the daughter of Lila Morrison Orr Hunter and Reese Hunter. She grew up in Richmond, VA, graduating from John Marshall High School in 1950 and from Queens College in 1954 with a degree in elementary education with a focus on bible and religious studies.

On August 28, 1954, she married Eric Conrad Clark III, formerly of Elizabethtown, NC, at Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church. They then moved to Washington, DC where he was stationed in Naval Intelligence.

Bettie was secretary and receptionist in the law firm of Gardner, Morrison and Rogers in Washington D.C until they returned to Charlotte in 1956. She was a member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church where she taught in the week-day school and in adult education, as well as many other Women of the Church activities.

In 1976, her interest and love of children with special needs led her to a long and rewarding career in Special Education with the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System. She served in that capacity for twenty years and loved every minute.

After retirement, she and Eric moved to The Pines at Davidson. She continued to substitute and volunteer, teaching at Seigle Avenue Presbyterian Church, and at the Ada Jenkins Center’s “Bright Beginnings” School program.

Bettie is survived by her husband, Eric Conrad Clark III and their three children: Elizabeth Anne Clark of Wilmington, NC, and twin sons, Eric Conrad Clark IV and his wife Ann Louise Roberts Clark of Charlotte, and Dr. Reese Hunter Clark and his wife, Carol Bedsole Clark of Weston, FL; and two grandsons, Reese Hunter Clark, Jr. of San Francisco, CA and Sheldon Dunham Clark of Nashville, TN.

She was preceded in death in 1945 by her brother, Reese Hunter, Jr. who was declared “missing in action” in the South China Sea in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

A service to celebrate Bettie’s life will be held at 2:00 PM Friday, December 23, 2016 in the sanctuary of Myers Park Presbyterian Church. Family will receive family and friends in the Welcome Center Lobby of the church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc., 400 Flemington Drive, Post Office Box 127, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450 or Queens University, 1900 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28207 or a charity of the donor’s choice.