Mary Ellen Clark went home to be with Jesus on August 21, 2022. She was born on May 11, 1943, in Riverside, New Jersey to Hiram and Mary Alleger. At an early age, Ellen trusted Jesus as her Savior and Lord and was baptized. She graduated in 1961 from Rancocas Valley Regional High School. Ellen’s first job after graduation was as a switchboard operator at New Jersey Telephone Company in Belvidere, New Jersey, where she met Sherman Clark in January 1963. Three months later Sherman proposed to Ellen, who said yes, and to this day, Sherman says that Ellen married him for his red convertible. Ellen and Sherman joined their lives in marriage on Sunday, August 4, 1963, at First Baptist Church, Mount Holly, New Jersey, and were faithful to each other for 59 years and 17 days. After the wedding, the couple made their first of eight moves in 13 years to Muskegon, Michigan. Their final move was in 1993, when they made their home in San Angelo, where they served their community and their Heavenly Father together for 29 years.
Ellen and Sherman had three children, Brad, Aaron, and Jennifer. Ellen was devoted to her family and when the children reached school age, she worked as an educational aide at Croninger Elementary School in Fort Wayne, Indiana where Jennifer and Aaron attended school. She later moved to a medical library clerk position at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Fort Wayne. It was from the experience she gained in the medical library that she was offered an opportunity to establish the medical library at Lincoln National Life Insurance Company where she assisted physicians with medical books, journals, and other material.
In 1993, Sherman was transferred to San Angelo to work with General Telephone Electronics Company. After 6 months in San Angelo, Ellen was hired at GTE as well, where she served customers with kindness in a variety of positions until her retirement in 2005.
Ellen was affectionately and appropriately known as Bahti to her grandsons and their friends. It was no coincidence that when Hunter was a toddler, he gave Ellen this title and it carried on through to Hayden. The family later learned the origin of the word is Indian and translates as praiseworthy, virtuous, and beautiful woman.
In retirement, Ellen’s greatest happiness came from her Bahti duty, caring for her grandsons, serving as their Uber driver, attending numerous sports practices, and serving as cheerleader at countless basketball games and other activities. In addition, Ellen was an avid reader of Christian authors and loved a good mystery novel. She was passionate about flowers and especially enjoyed her pansies in the winter and geraniums in the spring. Ellen was a dedicated member of First Baptist Church where she sang in the sanctuary choir, served on the worship team, participated in and led several committees, and in earlier years, volunteered as the director of the nursery and served as a Sunday School teacher for pre-school children.
In Heaven, Ellen joined her parents, Hiram and Mary Alleger; infant sister, Elizabeth; and infant granddaughter, Hadley Danielle, who she is now holding and singing favorite hymns and songs.
Ellen is survived by her lifelong love, partner, friend and loyal husband, Sherman; son, Brad Clark of Palo Alto, California; son, Aaron Clark and wife, Stephanie, of San Angelo; daughter, Jennifer Schmidt and husband, Jeff, of San Angelo; two grandsons who were the joys of her life, Hunter and Hayden; younger brother, Robert Alleger and wife, Natalie of Edgewater Park, New Jersey; and a host of other relatives and dear friends. Her grace, sweet spirit, wisdom, and counsel will be missed by many.
Ellen fought a courageous battle with cancer and her family is thankful for the excellent care, responsiveness, kindness, and dedication of the medical professionals who treated her, including Dr. John Harvey, Dr. David Cummings, Dr. Kenneth Jastrow, Shannon Hospital 5th and 6th Floor Nurses, and the staff of Home Preferred Health.
Ellen’s family invites friends to join them in celebrating her life on Saturday, October 1, at 10 am, First Baptist Church, San Angelo.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to The White Rose Support at Shannon Medical Center, the First Baptist Church San Angelo Music Ministry, or a charity of choice.
Proverbs 31: 29-31 – Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Memorial Service
Saturday, October 01, 2022
10:00AM
First Baptist Church
37 E. Harris Ave.
San Angelo, TX 76903
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