Nell Clarke

Nell Nadine "Dean" Clarke, R.N., age 85, of Ionia, formerly of Port Hope and Taylor, passed away on Monday morning, May 16, 2016 at her home under the loving care of her family and Spectrum Health Hospice. The daughter of Robert Emery & Nellie Blye (Blackburn) Grossman, she was born on June 30, 1930 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Dean received her nurses training and earned her Registered Nurse diploma in Philadelphia and then made a career at Children's Hospital in Detroit, where she retired after 30 years as Director of the Operating Room and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. While at Children's Hospital she was privileged to help thousands of children and their families, was involved in some of the first pediatric live organ transplants in Michigan, helped develop specialized surgical instruments and care protocols, and mentored many professionals who shared that knowledge in hospitals across the country. At her retirement she was presented with a special Captain's chair by Children's Hospital of Michigan, an honor that had previously only been bestowed upon retiring surgeons and physicians. A fellow nurse, Patricia Clarke, introduced her new brother-in-law, John Joseph "Jack" Clarke, to Dean and on January 24, 1969, at St. Alfred Catholic Church in Taylor, Jack and Dean were wed and went on to enjoy 47 years of marriage. Over those years they traveled to every state in the Union and all the Canadian provinces, enjoyed several cruises, and delighted in weekends and time away from the big city at their retreat in Port Hope overlooking the waters of Lake Huron. In retirement they made their home in Port Hope, were members of Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Church in Harbor Beach, and spent the winter months in the sunshine and warmth in Largo, Florida, until moving to Green Acres in Ionia this past fall. Dean was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, John Robert Grossman; a son, Joseph Cullen "Bud" Clarke; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Leo "Skip" & Patricia Clarke; and a step-grandson, Ryan M. Wilson. Surviving are her husband, John J. Clarke; a sister-in-law, Myrtle Grossman Thompson of Mesa, Arizona; two daughters, Julie & Dan Hyde of Gowen, and Barbara & Jeffrey McCarty of Phoenix, Arizona; a daughter-in-law, Sherri Clarke-Owen of Colorado; three grandsons, Robert & Joni Christiansen of Greenville, John & Christina Christiansen of Crystal, and Kyle P. Clarke of Grand Rapids; a granddaughter, Julie Ann "Jules" Slicker of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; two nieces, Patricia & Randy Solo, and Karen & Kurt Williams, all of Chandler, Arizona; a nephew, Michael Grossman & Jennifer Mayol of Novato, California; a great nephew, Kyle Williams of Colorado; four great-grandchildren, Austin Krausz, Jenna Christiansen and her fiance Andrew Josselyn, Thoren Christiansen, and Taryn Christiansen; and many beloved cousins, colleagues, and friends. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 17, 2016 at St. Charles Catholic Church, 505 S. Lafayette Street, Greenville, with the Rev. Father Michael F. Cilibraise presiding. Final interment will be at Great Lakes National Cemetery near Holly. Instead of flowers, the family would appreciate contributions in Dean's memory to the Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. (http://chmfoundation.org/donate-now/) Dean's family will forever be grateful to all of her wonderful physicians, nurses, and caregivers, but extend their special gratitude to Father Luis Garcia and the church family at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Ionia for aiding in her faith journey, and to Cheryl Shapiro, R.N., and the team at Spectrum Health Hospice for allowing her to peacefully enter her new Eternal life. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Nell Clarke, please visit our flower store.