Born on August 8, 1947, Mary was the wife of the late Barry Clark for 48 years, she was the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Easton Landers. She is survived by her daughters, Lisa O’Brien and her husband, Jim of Middletown, Megan Tyson and her husband, Michael, of Huntersville, NC, and son David Clark and wife Kendra of Pine Valley, NJ. Mary is also survived by brothers, Benjamin Landers of Newport, and Michael Landers of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She was predeceased by her sister Jane Brennan of Virginia. She has five grandchildren, Mackenzie, Ben, Kennedy, Timmy and Sam, and extended members of the Clark and Landers families.
A 1965 graduate of Saint Catherine Academy, Mary graduated from Rhode Island College where she received a degree in Education. During a career that covered 40 years for Middletown Public Schools, she belonged to the National Education Association of Rhode Island and retired as an elementary school teacher after working at both Aquidneck School and Forest Avenue School in Middletown.
Since retiring from teaching, she continued to be an active member of the educational community, where she also participated in Middletown’s Historical Society, and served as the president of the Middletown Retired Educator Association. A teacher to all both young and old, Mary impacted many people throughout her life as a teacher, wife, mother, sister, friend, and grandmother.
Through her life, she brought light and love to every room she entered. A true Islander, Mary met the love of her life at Third Beach in Middletown and they continued their love story here on the island, raising their three children. A force of pure joy for those around her, she never ceased to make you laugh or smile. Whether it was a loving note she wrote for someone she loved, a bushel, a peck and a hug around the neck or loving to the moon and back, her love for life and her family will be a constant reminder for us all to find happiness in each day.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, January 31, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2020 with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am in St. Mary’s Church, Spring St, Newport. Burial will follow at St. Columba Cemetery.
In Mary’s spirit, her family asks you to gather around your loved ones and hold your family tight, as Mary would always do every day. Donations in her memory may also be made the Middletown Historical Society, P.O. Box 4196, Middletown, RI 02842
