Joyce Ann Cavender Clark, 77, passed away peacefully after a long illness and then a short stay at Stonerise Morgantown.
She was a beloved wife of 41 years and mother of four adult children. She was a beautiful, kind, loving, giving and gifted person who will be profoundly missed. We have been blessed to share our lives with her.
Joyce was born in Charleston and grew up in Ravenswood, where she was a member of the First Baptist Church. She is survived by her husband Dr. Barry Clark of Morgantown; her son, Thomas Smith (wife Shelly) of Calera, Okla.; daughter Lynn Dee Bollesen (husband Craig) of Cary, N.C.; daughter Natalie Seiling of Chesterfield, Va.; son Derek Clark (wife Cheryl) of Morgantown; and sister Carol Jean Cavender Wendt of Upperco, Md. She has one grandson from Thomas (Devron); a granddaughter from Cheryl (Kayli); three grandchildren from Lynn Dee (Juliet, Elyse and Ronan); and three grandchildren from Natalie (Sean, Justin and Kylie).
Joyce grew up with a love of music. She spent many years playing the trumpet and the piano. She was an all-state champion trumpet player in high school and received the John Philip Sousa Award, that honors the top student in the high school band and recognizes superior musicianship and outstanding dedication. She used her experience with both instruments later to teach. On top of the instrumental success, Joyce had a beautiful singing voice. Her children were raised with this fabulous knowledge of music in their home.
Joyce was a graduate of Ravenswood High School, where she was also the head cheerleader. She was the broker of record and agent at Suzi Karr Realty in Windermere, Fla., for many years. She attended Marshall University in Huntington and Valencia College in Orlando, Fla., where she received her degree in nursing. She worked briefly at Orlando Regional Medical Center before moving to upstate New York. There she got her Critical Care certification and worked in cardiology at St. Joseph Hospital in Syracuse for 18 years. While there she worked in Cardiology Step up/down, the Cardiac Catheterization Lab and the ICU. She was usually the charge nurse and ran the crash cart and taught the new nurses the procedures for their floor. She enjoyed her work and loved helping people, which really describes her life in a nutshell. Joyce loved animals and always had one or more dogs and cats. She loved her fur babies. In fact, she will be interred with multiple urns of several of her favorite cremated dogs and cats. She was an avid sports fan — particularly for the University of Florida Gators from which both daughters graduated. Joyce always put family first and made the effort to be present in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives consistently. She was ever present at sporting events, dance recitals, baptisms, births, graduations and competitions. If it meant an eight-hour drive to see a grandchild’s performance or a last-minute flight to the other side of the country for a birth, she was there. Known also as Nana and Grammy Gator, she was beloved by her grandchildren.
Joyce lost her mother in her mid-teens. Years later, she and her new mother-in-law (Bette Clark) bonded as mother and daughter. Then, later when Bette Clark was critically ill, Joyce without hesitation, took leave from St. Joseph’s Hospital and drove to West Virginia and cared and comforted Bette until her ultimate passing. Joyce’s devotion to Bette forever endeared her to the Clark clan as the special loving person she was.
Friends and family will be received at Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce St., Morgantown, on Tuesday, Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at noon with the Rev. Bart Thompson officiating. Interment will take place at Beverly Hills Memorial Gardens in Westover.
Condolences:
hastingsfuneralhome.com.
