The Life of Mrs. Lillie Nellie Clark
Lillie Nellie ‘Nell’ Parkins Clark, 99, of Lafayette, LA, passed away of natural causes, on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at her home, very peacefully, with her only daughter lovingly by her side. A memorial will be held in Mrs. Clark''s honor at 2:30 PM, Friday, April 30, 2010, in the mausoleum at Lafayette Memorial Park, 2111 W Pinhook Rd., Lafayette. LA. 70508, conducted by Luther Burney, Rev Jimmy Pyles, and Rev Jack O’Dell, and is open to the public. Relatives and friends are welcome to reconvene to visit at Mrs. Clark’s home where her family is staying.
Even in death she hoped to help others by making the decision to donate her body to science years ago.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of the following organizations: The National Federation of the Blind (www.nfb.org), (410) 659-9314), Hospice of Acadiana (2600 Johnston Street, Suite 200, Lafayette, LA 70503, www.HospiceAcadiana.com, (337) 237-1332), the First Baptist Church of Lafayette Music Ministry (1100 Lee Ave, Box 3888, Lafayette, LA 70502), or the First Methodist Church of Lafayette (703 Lee Ave. (at Main and Johnston), Lafayette, LA 70501, (337) 233-3811).
Nell was born in San Antonio, TX (although raised in Mexico), to George Lewis Parkins of London, England & Beatrice Real Parkins of Zocotecas, Mexico, on February 17, 1911. She was the 5th of 14 brothers and sisters. She married J. O. ‘Bub’ Clark Jr. (of Pine Prairie, LA) on March 12, 1944, in Laredo, TX. A graduate of Breckenridge High School, she attended college in San Antonio at the Incarnate Word, and continued her education attending an adult writing class at UL.
Her whole life she just loved to laugh and enjoyed good jokes, as a young child she had even wanted to grow up and be a professional clown! Always immaculate in her appearance, her cultural, proper upbringing instilled in her a strong sense of pride that she carried until the day she passed. She was always very proud of being an accomplished and driven business woman, good with finances and organized.
Throughout her life she worked as everything from a bookkeeper, a retail manager, selling WWII war bonds at the Pickfair Mansion in Hollywood, CA, and in fact was the longest (and oldest!) working member of the Lafayette General Pink Ladies Auxiliary for just over 49 years. She was involved in almost an endless list of clubs, organizations, charitable and religious groups, including the United Methodist Women, Joy Club at First Baptist Church, Eastern Star, Lagcoe, The Grace Agate Sunday School, The Delphian Society, S.P.E. Auxiliary, Home Demonstration Club of Eunice, enjoyed her Bridge Club and was an avid canasta player, The Petroleum Club where she enjoyed bingo with her family on Thursdays and very active in the prestigious ‘3rd Wednesday-Board-Meetings’ group at La Fondas.
Mrs. Clark was nothing if not active, in life and in her community. She served as a volunteer for various causes; she was still driving, working, attending school, making and bringing dinners to shut-ins, visiting those in nursing homes and hospitals, & assisting others, until the age of 98. In fact, most would agree that she was a hard woman to catch up to, literally and figuratively! Above all else, she was caring, and lived to help others.
She also considered herself very patriotic and was great supporter of the military and our troops. Mrs. Clark is preceded in death by her husband J. O. ‘Bub’ Clark Jr., both of her parents, and 12 of her brothers and sisters.
Mrs. Clark is survived by her beloved only daughter Karen Clark Fleming & her caring son-in-law Glenn J. Fleming; her 4 grandchildren & their spouses, Glenn J. ‘Jay’ Fleming Jr. & Jamie Abshire Fleming, Kevin Clark Fleming & Srinuan ‘Aom’ Thiemkow Fleming, John Jeffrey ‘Jeff’ Fleming & Crystal Coburn Fleming; Karen-Marlee Elise Fleming-Hendrix & William Bradley Hendrix; and her only remaining sister Bertha Jefferies of Castroville, TX.
The family of Mrs. Clark wishes to extend their sincere thanks to her wonderful, attentive, & caring nurses (Jo Doucet, Linda, Vanessa, and Lisa of Hospice of Acadiana; Debbie of Home Health of Acadiana), and sitters (Margaret Guilbeau, Vicki Hebert, Racheal Peeks, and Sandra Ryan) who sat by her side for the past year and became to think of her as family as did the family of them. Martin & Castille, 330 St. Landry St.-Lafayette, 337-234-2311
