Joanne Johnson Clark

February 4, 1946 - August 5, 2023

Joanne was born in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest of Dot and Ray's ragtag crew of nine children. In October of 1952, when she was just six year old, they packed Joanne, David, Bobby, and Susan in the back of their convertible Pontiac Chieftain and left Detroit for California, never to return. Joanne played an important role tending to the quickly growing brood while her parents ran their catering business. Nine kids are nine sets of hands so as soon as they were old enough, Joanne worked alongside all of her siblings as they helped out in the family business even at very young ages.

Joanne was a smart and diligent student. She was always curious and loved learning, so she did very well in school. Even though she got straight A's, she resisted pressure from the administration to skip a year. Joanne and all eight of her siblings graduated from SPHS. While she was academically gifted, her heart was in the arts. After graduation she attended Pasadena Community College and Otis Art School in Los Angeles. She learned the art of pottery and the importance of color composition. She always said "a good artist knows when to quit". Joanne was also practical and used that artistic nature to become a licensed cosmetologist.

Joanne never tired of telling everyone the story of when her sister Nancy and Gene Clark's sister Stefanie set the two of them up on a blind date to Disneyland. Unbeknownst to her, she was introduced to the two loves of her life that day at the Magic Kingdom:  her future husband and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She fell in love with both and gave her life to them. Joanne and Gene were soon married in South Pasadena and sealed in the Los Angeles LDS Temple.

She'd often say that she could have never dreamed of being able to live the life that she and Gene built together. The biggest part of that life was the six children they welcomed into this world. She lead and taught her children by powerful example, but with a soft voice. Her children adored her. To know her was to love her. The woman was kind to a fault. The Clark kids deserved to be yelled at at times, many times. Maybe most. But Joanne never raised her voice. Like her mother before her, Joanne saw the positive in everything. The glass was always half full of the most delicious lemonade - lemonade that she'd made from any lemons she was handed. She recognized the goodness in everyone and was never shy in pointing it out. She never spoke poorly of anyone that any of her children can remember. But it wasn't fake. It just wasn't in her nature.

Gene's job gave Joanne the opportunity to travel and live around the world. She was able to combine her curiosity about the world with her dedication to exercise as she and Gene took amazing trips cycling through Ireland, Spain, and all over England. She was also able to indulge in her passion for oil painting and developed a talent in the art of the mural. There wasn't a Clark house that didn't have extensive full scale murals that Joanne had painted on the walls. She also painted them for friends and local businesses.

But what Joanne really loved was being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She couldn't get enough of studying the scriptures and she wrote insightfully and extensively as she did. From the early days of her membership, she wanted to serve a full time mission and as soon as Gene retired, they put in their papers. Their experience serving full-time in the Costa Rica, San Jose missions brought Joanne incredible fulfillment. After a short trip back home to see family, they left for the Argentina, Neuquen Mission. Gene and Joanne both adored that time and were joined at the hip. The two of them were so very different, but they shared every motivation and belief that really matters in the long run. Joanne would say that Argentina was like a "second honeymoon" to them, as they lived a simple life together, walking the streets in small rural towns, doing the work that they loved. After a year out, the honeymoon was over when Gene was diagnosed with terminal Glioblastoma.

They say that when you suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's that all filters fall aside. You are who you are. There is no white knuckling as you hold back, acting on your best behavior. But Joanne continued to be an angel on earth, even as she continued to decline. Joanne lived out the last years of her life with daughters. She continued to love exercise and found immense joy walking the streets and the beach in San Clemente. Everything was so perfect and inspiring that it gave her "goosebumps". The palm trees. Dana Point. Sushi. An American flag in the wind. Joanne left us all a legacy of optimism and faith. She is survived by her children, Sarah and Steve Davis, Reuben and Sara Clark, Emily and Ben Hemminger, Jesse and Julia Clark, and David and Amber Clark, and her 20 grandchildren, as well as her siblings, David Johnson '65, Susan Johnson '67, Bobby Johnson '68, Nancy Johnson Halpin '70, Diane Johnson Kirk '72, Bettyanne Johnson Bruin '73, and Vicki Johnson '78. Her beloved soulmate Gene Clark '64, adored son Ehren, loving parents, and talented brother Buzzy Johnson '76, were there to welcome her into the next realm. She taught us all to focus on the good and to "rejoice in the success of others".

The Clark Family, August 2023