Everdina Wesseling Clark

Everdina Wesseling Clark, known to nearly everyone as Dena, passed away on November 9th at the age of 99. She was a woman of remarkable independence, quiet generosity, and determination who built an extraordinary life on her own terms.

Born in Jacksonville in 1927, Dena was one of six children of Dutch immigrants who were proud of their heritage and even prouder to be Americans. Raised in Riverside, she experienced hardship early, including the loss of her father when she was just 14. Those experiences helped shape the resilience and self-reliance that would define her life.

Her independence was most evident in her personal life. After separating from her husband in the early 1960s, Dena raised her two children, Lisa and Donnie, while maintaining her home, managing her finances, and building a secure future for her family. She eventually settled in Mandarin, where she would spend the remainder of her life.

Dena began her career at the Florida Times-Union as a secretary and, through hard work and determination, rose to manage payroll for the entire newspaper. During a career spanning nearly five decades, she became, at one point, the company's highest-paid woman, a remarkable accomplishment for her generation. She retired in 1994. She liked to joke that she knew what everyone at the newspaper made. What she never did, however, was tell a soul.

While fiercely independent, Dena was someone others could always depend on. Throughout her life, she helped care for her mother through Alzheimer's disease, her stepfather, and her sister, while remaining a constant source of support for her children and grandchildren. Her home was more than a place to visit; for family, it was a place to belong.

Dena enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles, and keeping up with the world through the newspaper. Always proud of her Dutch heritage, she had the opportunity in 2017 to visit the cities in the Netherlands where her parents were born, a particularly meaningful experience nearly a century after they had immigrated to America.

She believed in hard work, honesty, perseverance, and treating people well. She also understood the importance of forgiveness, often reminding her family that "life is too short to hate anyone or hold grudges." It was a simple philosophy, but one that said much about the way she approached life.

Of everything she accomplished, Dena took the greatest pride in her family and the lives they built. She is survived by her daughter, Teri Lisa Thomas (Stu); son, Kenneth Donnie Clark (Terry); grandchildren, Steven, Jacob (Isabel), and Chad (Kumari); and great-grandchildren, Eric, Lincoln, Beatrix, Bruce, and Arya.

Dena lived through nearly a century of change, but the things she valued most remained remarkably consistent: family, independence, hard work, and kindness. She gave those who loved her more than memories. She gave them an example of how to live.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Legacy Lodge, 4801 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida. A graveside service will follow on Friday, November 13, at 10:00 a.m., also at Oaklawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) or a charitable organization of your choice.