Valerie Clark

Valerie Ann Clark of Castle Rock, CO transitioned on Thursday, August 29, 2013. She was born March 16, 1954 in Denver, CO. She is survived by Mother and Father Paul and Patricia Clark of Oxford Ks., her younger siblings, Paula M. Clark~Martin, Paul M. Clark of Highlands Ranch, Co., Patricia A. Clark of Co.Springs, Co. and the youngest brother Paul T. Clark of Oxford, KS. as well her nieces Lorrin Houghton, Kate Martin, Darby Clark, and also, her beloved cat, Baxter. She was a member of the Center for Spiritual Living in Castle Rock.

Memorial Services Monday, Sept 9, 2013 7PM.

Many times when Valerie and I were in a group, people would ask how long we had known each other. We would look at each other and guess at how many years it had been. Well, I finally looked at an old resume and found out. We had been friends for 30 years. I knew her for over half her life.

She was born in Denver in 1954. As a child she also spent time in Alabama and California. She graduated valedictorian of her high school class in Santa Barbara. She was a very humble person and probably very few knew of this honor.

When I met Valerie in 1983, she was a senior manager at Information Handling Services (IHS). She had been working there since 1973 and had worked in almost every department. She knew the business like the back of her hand. I was assigned as her programming resource. It was a good combination: she had the business knowledge and I had the technical skills she needed for her systems. From the time I first met her I knew how smart she was and was drawn to her friendliness, her laugh, her quick wit, and her smile. Probably most of you here were drawn to her for many of the same reasons.

Our friendship developed over the years. We used to go to work early, have coffee and cigarettes at her work table and get set for the day. Eventually we quit smoking; not for any health reason but simply when we were forced to go outside to smoke it was too cold. Weekends we would go to the movies, shop, and have something to eat. Her favorite director was Alfred Hitchcock. She could tell you about each of his movies and what his cameo part was. She had watched The Birds so often she could say the dialogue along with the movie. When my son started having kids, we got to shop for baby clothes. She loved babies and putting together outfits for them. When she was young she helped take care of her brothers and sisters. Whenever she saw a baby, she would open her heart to them. She just loved to entertain Aspen during church. Even though she liked to pretend she was a cranky old woman, the kids in her apartment complex saw through that façade and came to see her often.

While she was at IHS, she was sent to England for about a month on business. She loved to travel and toured the countryside. In true Valerie fashion she made friends on that trip that she kept in touch with for years. She stayed at IHS until 1992. 19 years indicates her loyalty and dedication to the company. She still kept in touch with many of the friends that she made there.

After IHS, Valerie worked at Diner’s Club in a supervisory position. While there she made friends with a visually impaired group. She generously drove the beep ball team to many games not only in Denver but to Nebraska and Kansas. Beep ball is baseball for the visually impaired with a ball that beeps to help them locate it. She joined the bowling team and supported the group in every way she could. When the beep ball team went to Japan for a tournament, she went with them to help navigate the unknown territory. She led the team through the streets of Japan like a mother duck with her ducklings. She was a very caring and generous person. Even when she was in need, she gave to others. She met a woman at the task force who was homeless. She felt so deeply for her that she emptied her purse of all the change she had and gave it to her.

When Diner’s Club closed its doors in 2004, Valerie found a position at Peak 5. She studied and quickly learned what she needed to become a bankruptcy and warranty specialist. This position required a lot of phone work. Valerie had an exceptional voice. She used to love to sing. People just loved to talk with her. It was as though she reached through the phone and touched their hearts. She cared about each of the people she worked with.

In 2009 she adopted Baxter her beloved cat. He is a handsome black and white long haired tuxedo cat. He quickly won her heart. She doted on him like the child she never had. I’m sure that if Baxter would have allowed it she would have dressed him in baby clothes. This was the first pet she had as an adult. He was a very smart cat and she liked to call him Mr. Baxter Einstein. He gave her much comfort and joy. He would wait by the door for her to come home.

After Peak 5 closed its doors, Valerie took a position at Gulf Eagle Supply as the office Administrator. This job was made for her. She could use some of her strongest skills. She organized the office, ordered supplies, took care of the checkbook and petty cash, as well as the reports and timesheets. She loved being needed and didn’t mind taking control either. Her second favorite place to shop was the office supply store. So she was pretty close to heaven when she got to play with all the new office supplies. Everything she loved to do was in this job so when it ended in 2011 she was very sad. She only had one other temporary position after this.

In 2012 we were interested in the Mayan calendar event. We attended a special program at The Center for Spiritual Living about the Mayan calendar. Valerie loved reading and learning about new things so it wasn’t hard to convince her to go. We liked the people and the energy at the Center. We started going on a regular basis. In 2013 we became official members. Valerie loved being a part of this spiritual community. She loved giving and receiving the love, caring, and hugs.

Valerie was always supportive of others. She would remember what others were working on and give them encouragement. If she knew you were interested in losing weight, she would always make sure that she noticed how well you were doing. She would praise your efforts and encourage you to continue. For herself Valerie had very high standards. Several years ago, she made a bride’s maids dress for a friend. It didn’t turn out as perfect as she wanted. Even though she bought a new sewing machine, she never sewed anything after that. But she was very tolerant of others. When looking at one of my quilts with all its imperfections, she would insist that it was just beautiful and perfect. Supporting others gave her great joy.

She loved being surrounded by beautiful things. She had an artistic nature that appreciated other artists. She listened to all types of music. Sometimes when she would pick me up for a meeting, I could hear her hip hop long before she got to my driveway. One of her favorite songs was Mirrors by Justin Timberlake.

On the Saturday before her transition we went to the movies and out to eat.

I want to end with this quote from John Denver: Death is not an ending, but a symbol of movement along the path which we are all traveling. As it may be painful to lose contact with the physical aspect of one we love, we have been and always will be a part of each other.