Carol Louise Clarke, loved by everyone
Carol Louise Clarke (Heard) passed away Saturday, June 13, 2020, at her home in Dagsboro in the company of loved ones and friends.
Carol is survived by her husband Thomas R. Clarke of Dagsboro, formerly of Philadelphia and Richboro, Pa.; her three sons, Joseph H. Heard II of Manteo, N.C., Brian L. Heard of Silver Spring, Md., and Jonathan D. Heard of Simpsonville, S.C.; and her brother Franklin Shupp of Urbana, Ill. Carol was also the beloved stepmother of Kevin Clarke (Dover, N.H.) and Stephen Clarke (Penndel, Pa.); the mother-in-law of Rose Clarke (Penndel), Christine Heard (Manteo), Maria Heard (Silver Spring, Md.) and Aimee Heard (Simpsonville, S.C.), and the predeceased Kathleen Clarke (Dover, N.H.). She was also the grandmother of Mary Claire, Sarah and Patrick Clarke, and Braden, Pearson, Henry, Haley, Charlotte and Gemma Heard.
Carol was born in Palmerton, Pa., June 6, 1933, to Charles E. and Mona Shupp, the fourth of four children (Ruth, Floyd, Franklin), and grew up in Plymouth, Pa. She graduated from Plymouth High School and Bloomsburg University (Pa.). Upon college graduation, Carol became a teacher in New Jersey, California and Pennsylvania. The majority of her teaching career was as a first-grade instructor at Churchville Elementary School in Churchville, Pa.
She married Joseph H. Heard I in 1958 and had three sons - Joseph H. II, Brian and Jonathan. Her first husband, Joseph, passed away in 1972. She married Thomas Clarke in 1991.
There’s a saying, well-worn, oft-used: “You give what you get.” Carol gave and she got. She was loved by anyone and everyone who met her, because she gave love unfettered and unconditionally. She never had a conversation when she wanted to talk about herself more than she wanted to hear about you. She was a blessing and a great gift. Her smile, her laugh, her sunny attitude made family and friends and strangers alike smile and laugh and feel better too. She was a star. And though the world’s a little less bright right now because she’s gone, she made it shine more brightly for us all. That’s her legacy and a really good one. She will be missed, but celebrated.
A memorial gathering will begin at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 18, at Melson Funeral Home, 38040 Muddy Neck Road, Ocean View, to reflect on Carol’s life. The memorial service will begin at 10:30 a.m. It will be followed by a celebratory gathering (with light food and beverages) in Carol’s memory at noon, at Cripple Creek Country Club, 29494 Cripple Creek Drive, Dagsboro.
In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted in Carol’s name by one of her favorite charities: Memorials.
