Kaaren Lynn Clark
It is finished.
Kaaren Lynn (Nunn) Clark, age 79, of Beaumont, Texas peacefully passed away in her home on the morning of March 2, 2023. She was a loving daughter, nurse, wife, mother, horse-show mom, Gram, friend, and devout Christian.
Kaaren was born on the 26th of June 1943, in Washington, Pennsylvania to David Arthur and Ustina Mae Martincheck Nunn and raised in Avella, Pennsylvania. She grew up riding her horse through the hills of southwest Pennsylvania and played basketball for her high school. After graduation, she left home to attend the School of Nursing at Washington Hospital and then moved to Houston, Texas to continue her nursing career, where she worked with Dr. Denton Cooley’s open heart and transplant team. It was in Houston that she met a young Jerry D. Clark. Soon after, the couple wed and moved to Monterrey, Mexico where Kaaren taught English and helped Jerry translate his Spanish medical school classes.
Kaaren and Jerry welcomed their first daughter, Kristen, in 1975, while living in Mexico. After a stint in New York City to finish medical school, the family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee for Jerry’s internship and residency. Daughter Kelly was born in 1982 and a few months later the family moved again to Beaumont, Texas, where they settled in their forever home in which they still reside today. The Clark household became known as a gathering place for neighborhood kids, holiday parties, friendly get-togethers and hosting countless teenagers over the years.
To know Kaaren is to be a recipient of her numerous greeting cards – for birthdays, holidays, or no reason at all. They were always adorned with stickers and personalized, heartfelt notes. Kaaren was known for her extreme generosity, kindness, and devout faith. She had a close-knit group of friends spanning numerous decades, many of whom were able to gather with her in her last days for a celebration of life. One friend best described her as a “walking, talking demonstration of loving kindness.” Kaaren was known for her constant, joyous laughter. She had the ability to make others feel like they were the most important person in her world and was a prayer warrior for loved ones and strangers alike.
More recently, the complete joy of Kaaren’s life were her two granddaughters Charlie and Clark. Kaaren spent several weeks at a time visiting Kelly’s family in the Pacific Northwest. She took on her role as “Gram” with great pride and rarely missed a milestone. Since her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in January, Kaaren sought great pleasure in seeing Charlie and Clark daily. She was often found with a granddaughter or two in her lap, reading book after book. She read her last book just days before she passed.
Kaaren is survived by her husband of 51 years, Dr. Jerry D. Clark; daughters Kristen Thomas of Beaumont, and Kelly Curro and her husband Chris of Vancouver, Washington; granddaughters Charlie and Clark Curro of Vancouver, Washington; and brother Mark Nunn of Pennsylvania. Kaaren was preceded in death by her parents Art and Tina as well as her brother David Nunn.
Mrs. Clark’s cremation arrangements were handled through Broussard’s Crematorium under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, or to Shriners Hospital for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Florida 33607.
Thank you for the beautiful tribute to your Mom, Kelly. Kaaren and I were roommates and worked together in the heady days of the Cooley/Debakey years. We got back in touch after my conversion to Catholic Christianity after walking away from God as a teen. I’m grateful for our many talks about the immense joy of faith. Paging through the lovely photos brought back many memories of her when she was falling in love with your Dad.
I have and will continue praying for her soul and for consolation for all of you.
Thank you Jerry for sending me the link to this lovely tribute to a well lived life.
To Kelly and the entire Clark Family,
We are so sorry to hear about the passing of your mother and Dear wife. Even thought we did not have the pleasure of meeting Kaaren and getting to know her, I know she must have been proud of the daughter(s) she raised. We have always loved Kelly and got to know her through our son Brandon way back in high school years. Reading comments from those who had the pleasure of knowing Kaaren, she surely was a wonderful mother and friend to many, and she passed many of those wonderful qualities on to her daughters. We are so sorry for your loss and we hope some of the wonderful memories of your dear Mother and wife will bring you comfort in the days ahead. May some of those memories still fill your heart years from now when remembering some of the good times you were able to share with her over the many years. You all are in our thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time. Bless you and your family.
❤️ Love,
Ted & Gretchen East
I knew Karen and Jerry through 2 churches…Wesley Methodist and Christian Fellowship. My husband, Joe, has known Jerry for many years through Jerry’s cousin, Chase, who was a firefighter like Joe. Karen and Jerry invited us to their crawfish boils and to the beach every year. We ate out often with them after church too. But what I really want to say is how Karen reached out to me after I contracted a serious auto-immune illness that nearly took me out. Karen sent numerous cards. She called me. She did this for months. She was relentless in reaching out to me. Because of my AI disease, I’ve lost touch with many people over the years. When I found out Karen was sick, I called her twice, the last time being a couple of weeks before she passed away. I called to not only check on her, but to thank her for reaching out to me so very much. Karen was her chipper self, even though I could tell she was in pain. She told me to call her again, but I just couldn’t knowing her family was there and she was in pain. Karen was the epitome of what it means to be a Christian. She was a shining light in a dark world. Much love to everyone who lost her. I can’t wait to see her again for a crawfish boil in Heaven! ❤️
In a small address book she carried with her she had written, “My purpose in life is to glorify God and live in his presence forever”.
Mission accomplished!!!
Thank you Jesus for giving me the privilege of having known Kaaren ! All comments I her tribute describe her so well! I’m blessed to have been able to attend The gathering! Thanks Kelly!
She was so weak. I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me. I wanted more than anything, to relieve her pain, to share her impending death with the world, and to share the joy of her friendship with all who would listen to me.
Thank you for allowing this precious time with her for all who were able to gather. She will remain a gift to my life and to my family.
Very sorry for or your lost ..” she was a very kind and
Loving lady. She will certainly be missed.
Dr. Clark & family,
Our hearts go out to you and we are praying for you in the loss of one of the most sweetest ladies we ever had the privilege of meeting. It was through our daughter, Angela, who worked as Dr. Clark’s nurse that this was made possible. Kaaren treated Angela as if she were a part of the family and extended a visit to her loving home to us when we did a Christmas photo shoot with her horses. Those memories will be cherished even more as we remember her in our hearts! Love, Rev. Michael L. & Connie Phillips
I am so sorry for your loss. Kaaren was a dear neighbor.
I am praying for your peace in the coming days.
I felt so privileged to live next door. It’s hard to sum up my gratitude. So many memories, all of them beautiful. Thanks for letting me in. I will carry your laugh & kind spirit with me. It will always warm my heart to think of you, Mrs. Clark. ❤️. I love you & your family.
Sending my deepest sympathy and prayers to Karen’s family. She was a classmate at Washington Hospital School of Nursing. Have such fond memories of those years.
What a beautiful tribute to such a beautiful person inside and out! Her love and kindness and showed so brightly in her smile. Her love of family was so strong and loving. So glad you had such special time together before she passed. We will picture her reading to Charlie and Clark on her lab with endless smiles. Hang on to those beautiful memories and keep them close to your heart! We are so glad we got to know her and will treasure her cards and sweet Christmas she gave over the years. God bless her and all of you. Love and prayers to you all… XO ❤️