Clara B Lack

Clara Lack, 91, of Houston, Texas, passed away on Thursday, December 20, 2012, at her residence after a brief illness.

She was born in Erie, PA., on September 1, 1921, the daughter of the late Pete and Mary Janas Barczynski. Clara graduated from Academy High School and then went on to receive a degree from Erie Business College. She married James E. Lack in 1956, and they lived together in Erie, PA., before relocating to Houston, Texas, in 2003.

Clara was an Executive Secretary at General Electric for seventeen years before devoting her life to homemaking and motherhood.

Clara loved to play cards, paint, decorate, and shop. She traveled with her husband each winter to various warm locations.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, James E. Lack on November 21, 2003; a sister, Cecelia Stein; and six brothers, Edward, Alexander, Walter, Martin, William, and Theodore Barczynski.

She is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Kevin (Sandra) Brown of Houston; two grandchildren, Matthew and Danielle Manges; one great-grandchild, Parker Manges, and many nieces and nephews.

A service will be held at 11:00 am on December 27, 2012 at Brookside Funeral Home-Cypress Creek, 9149 Highway 6 North, Houston, TX 77095.

Memories of Clara Lack

Clara was the youngest child born into a large loving family. Her six brothers and one sister lavished attention on the baby of the family. Clara, Ted, Al, Martin, Walter, Bill, Ed, and Ceil were devoted to one another and wouldn’t let a day pass without talking to each other. Our phone would ring numerous times a day as they exchanged stories about their daily lives. Clara was blessed to have two wonderful parents. She would often speak about her mother’s intellect. That her mother, Mary, could do just about everything from running a busy home to literally laying the foundation to their home and overseeing the completed construction. Her father, Peter, was the fun loving parent and enjoyed life immensely. He was always impeccably dressed and I am sure my mother inherited her sense of style from him. My mother always looked forward to her dad’s return from work because he would always save her a little bit of his lunch as a special treat just for her.

Like her mother, Clara was very intelligent. She had an amazing memory and was a stickler for details. She skipped two grades in school and graduated high school at sixteen. She then went to Business College and secured a position at General Electric. She worked there for seventeen years until she became a full time homemaker and mother. While at General Electric, she met and married her soul mate, Jim Lack. My parents were so very much in love. They were always holding hands and exchanging kind and loving words. They loved going to Presque Isle State Park to picnic, walk, and watch the boats come in to dock.

My dad, Jim, had a difficult life growing up. He was raised in an orphanage and never knew the love of parents and family. He often told me how my mom was the first person to ever love him and that she REALLY loved him. And, the added bonus to being so loved was that Clara was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. He adored my mother and from the day he put a ring on her finger she became his princess. He lavished love, attention, and roses on her till the day he passed. I can remember hearing him say, “My Clara will never touch a mop”. He saw to it that she had a wonderful life.

My mother loved being a mother and she devoted her life to caring for me. She was an active volunteer at the school I attended and even became involved at the college from which I graduated. She was an amazing cook, an excellent listener, and my most trusted adviser. My mom provided me with warmth for the times I was lonely, comfort when I was sad, and shared in my joys and accomplishments. My mother and I spent many hours shopping, lunching and gossiping. She had an eye for fashion and was always immaculately dressed. She would always joke with my husband, Kevin, that he had to take good care of me; that his mother had spare children to rely on but she only had me.

When she became a grandmother, she was thrilled. She loved caring for her two grandchildren. She spent hundreds of hours telling stories, playing games, and watching movies till all hours of the morning with Matt and Danielle. My parents always had something called the “goody bag”; it was filled with a variety of snacks and candies. They loved watching Matt and Danielle hunt through the bag looking for the tastiest treat. She loved Matthew’s vivid and enthusiastic imagination and marveled at the amazing structures he built with Lincoln Logs when he was a little boy. She loved to retell the story of giving Danielle some of her scarves and watching her dance around the room like a butterfly. She was so proud of her grandchildren’s accomplishments. She bragged to her friends about her Aggie grandson the engineer and how her granddaughter the business woman works in downtown Houston. A year ago she was blessed to become a great-grandmother and loved Parker so much. I would often find her blowing a kiss to his picture and worrying about his most recent cold or ear infection. She loved that he reminded her of Matt and how wonderful it was when he was born.

Clara had 91 memorable years. She was feisty and spirited till the end and will never be forgotten by her family that loved her so very much.