Mary was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 50 years Myrick Clark, in 2010.
Mary is survived by her sons, Chris and Steve Clark of Raleigh; daughter, Laura Clark Hamill (Burley) of Wake Forest; stepsons; Gregory Clark (Heather) of Kent, WA and Myrick Clark, II (Lorraine) of Cape Coral, FL; granddaughters Heather Barber (Shane) of Myrtle Beach, SC, Victoria Hamill of Wake Forest, and Alyssa Clark of Garner; grandsons, Adrian Clark of Kent, WA and Michael Clark of Garner; great-grandsons, Lucas and Jaxon Barber of Myrtle Beach, SC; her only brother Jack Savage (Pat) of Annapolis, MD & many close friends, many beloved cousins, and her beloved rescue dog Penelope.
Mary’s dream of becoming a nurse was realized in 1980 as a graduate from Wake Tech’s nursing school and becoming employed with the VA Hospital in Durham. She went on to obtain her Bachelor's degree from UNC Central and finally her Masters in Nursing from Duke in 1991. She was a devoted nurse at the VA Hospital in Durham for 20 years and left the hospital setting after the opening of the 1st VA Clinic in Raleigh in 2001, from where she retired in 2012 after 32 years of service to the VA.
Mary also was one of several VA nurses in the country chosen to go to Washington DC and serve on the Veterans Administration Health Care Advisory Council under the Clinton Administration for a period of 1 year.
Mary became a Certified Diabetes Educator and started the 1st Raleigh Diabetes Support Group in 2011 which meets bi -monthly at her beloved church, Milner Presbyterian Church, and is open to anyone that needs diabetes support and education.
Mary was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister, friend and nurse. She dedicated her life serving the Lord, her country and her family. She will be forever missed by her family, friends, patients and the community.
Visitation will be held at 5:00pm Sunday, July 8, 2018 at Brown Wynne Funeral Home, 1701 E Millbrook Rd, Raleigh. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 am Monday, July 9, 2018 at Milner Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1950 New Bern Ave, Raleigh, NC 27610.
In lieu of flowers, if preferred, donations may be made to the Raleigh Diabetes Support Group so they can continue to carry out her dream of supporting the Diabetic Community. c/o Laura Hamill, 900 Averette Rd, Wake Forest, NC 27587.
