Constance Clark

Clark, Constance M.
Stoughton / Springfield- Constance M. Clark, 83, of Stoughton, WI, formerly of Springfield, IL, passed away at Harmony House, in Stoughton, WI on November 27, 2011. She was born on April 15, 1928, in Cairo, Illinois, the daughter of the late William B. and Constance D. Mattingly. Constance attended Cairo High School, graduating in 1946. For two years she attended Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa and then transferred to St. Louis University. While there she joined the college choir and met Harry F. Clark, a resident of St. Louis. They were married in 1951 in Cairo, Illinois. After brief stays in Springfield, Ohio, and Wichita, Kansas, they settled in Springfield, Illinois where they remained for more than 30 years, raising their six children: Harry (Jake), Constance (Connie Dahm), Nicholas, Andrew, Amelia and Matthew.

Constance lived her dream of being a mother to a large brood of children who valued the arts and education. Con thrived on color and texture in clothing and in her surroundings. In her early years as a parent, she wove, sewed and knitted, creating many outfits for her children while teaching them along the way. She had a daring, artistic eye for decorating and dressing in distinctive patterns and color combinations. Con enjoyed baking, camping and gardening, and passed that enjoyment to her children. A voracious reader, Con consumed biographies and mysteries, and loved to talk about her reading. Her children had many memorable outings to the Lincoln library and the book exchange in downtown Springfield. Her early love of music continued, and she sang in the Cathedral parish choir for several years as an alto.

In 1967 she began work as an accountant for the State of Illinois, retiring in 1989 after 22 years. In the early 1990s, she relocated with her husband Harry to the Ozark Plateau in south-central Missouri. They enjoyed country life in a one-room schoolhouse originally built by the Works Progress Administration, which they transformed into a loft, furnished artfully and with great care. Children and grandchildren often joined them in the Ozark region for rides on the back yard merry-go-round, walks down country lanes, visits to the resident cows and splashes in the pool. Con relished the time with her grandkids, reading and playing with them and marveling at their growth.

Constance is preceded in death by her husband Harry and her sons, Nicholas and Andrew and brother Bill. She is survived by her siblings, John, Nicholas and Amelia (Miji) Mattingly and their families. She has four remaining children, Harry (Jake) Clark, Constance Clark Zawadsky, (Joseph) and grandson, Chaya, Ann Clark (wife of Andrew) and grandsons Anthony and Christopher, Amelia Clark (Ted Lowry, husband) and daughter, Leticia, Matthew Clark (wife Lisa) and grandchildren Peter, Timothy, William, Katy and Kimberly.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Cress Funeral Home, 206 West Prospect Street in Stoughton, and a prayer service to commence at 6:30 p.m. with Rev. Msgr. Gerald Healy officiating. She will be buried in Springfield, IL, alongside her husband and son Nicholas. A memorial Mass will be held on January 21, 2012 at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Springfield, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made either to the Stoughton Library or to St. Ann Parish's Journey of the Heart youth mission trip.
"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you" Isaiah, 56:1-3