There will be a Celebration of Life and Memorial for Joanne Clark on March 4th, 3:00-5:00pm, at the Bridgewater Bistro in Astoria, Oregon; March 5th, 3:00-5:00pm, on Vashon Island, Washington, at the JG Commons Apt Building.
Joanne passed away on January 14, 2023 while residing at Washington State Veterans Home in Port Orchard. It was decided she would be brought home to be cared for by her daughters the day before and it was with great sorrow that she unexpectedly passed away. Joanne was 80 years old. She was born to Norwegian-born Oluf Jaeger Iversen and Finnish-born Dorothy Selma Long in Astoria, Oregon. Her father died when she was very young. Her mom remarried and Joanne wasthen also brought up by stepfather Onnie Silver. Joanne was born and raised in Astoria, Oregon. She had four siblings; three older siblings, Fay, Billy, Karen and one younger brother Richard. She is survived by Fay Hamilton and Richard Iversen. She graduated from Astoria High School.
While growing up, Joanne loved to play softball with her siblings and neighborhood friends. She continued to play on softball teams as an adult. She joined the Army and was stationed in California. She was a teletype operator during the Cuban Missile crisis. She married Ron Clark in 1963 and became an army wife. Joanne had three children: Sherry, Lauri and Brian. Sherry was born in Astoria, Oregon; Lauri was born in Fairbanks, Alaska; and Brian was born at Homestead AFB, Florida. Joanne was a stay-at-home mom untiltheArmy sent Ron toGermany on assignment. Joanne became a bank teller and worked on Fort Lewis. She later became a customer service representative for a bank. Joanne was the kind of employee who arrived early to work, worked before her shift began and held honesty and integrity at the forefront of everything she did. Sherry remembers one time when she was a teenager, Joanne and she got into the car after shopping and Joanne realized the cashier gave her five cents too much back in change. Joanne took the time to get out of the car, walk back into the store and return the five cents to the cashier. She retired at an early age at a huge financial loss so she could care for her mom diagnosed with lung cancer. She also cared for her stepfather Onnie who had dementia. She was the kind of mom everyone could count on and will always be remembered for her reliability, love, care and sense of humor. Joanne has two granddaughters: Brianna Clark and Rachel Hansen.
Joanne was a huge Mariner and Seahawk fan and was always very emotionally engaged in the game. She had an incredible memory; it was not only displayed remembering all of her large extended family birthdays but also ball player names and career history. In Joanne’s later years, she lived on Vashon Island near her daughters Sherry and Lauri and granddaughter Rachel. Joanne enjoyed meeting every morning with friends for coffee at the apartment building she lived in on Vashon Island. She later lived with Sherry for several years before experiencing a health issue that placed her in the hospital and then a skilled nursing home that then caused other serious health issues. Joanne had always been amazingly very tough and resilient. She had a fun sense of witty humor and will always be remembered for her smile and laugh. She will be greatly missed on this earth! Joanne loved Jesus and placed her faith in Him. Her family is confident they will see her again in Heaven. She only went before us.
