Obituary
Mary Ellen Clark passed away peacefully on 7/24/2025 in Austin, TX. She was almost 98 years old! She told me at one point that she wanted to live to be 100 and she would have had she not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018. She is survived by her three children. Her sons Robert and Kenneth Clark and her daughter Tristin Sullivan.
Mary Ellen was born in Cleveland Ohio. At age 16 she worked at the GE factory and went to Shaw High School. She then went to Hiram College where she met her husband, Robert L. Clark, during her sophomore year. They moved together to California where she attended UCLA and worked as a waitress. She went on to become a teacher, working at John Tracy Clinic for the Blind, as well as teaching pre-school, 5th and 6th graders at various schools, and adult and teen guitar lessons.
Mary Ellen embodied joy! Her greatest joy, in her own words, was “seeing other people happy and being happy with them”. She had endless enthusiasm for the things that made her smile which included playing guitar, painting and drawing and Scottish Country Dancing. Be it folk music with the Songmakers or back up guitar for the Scottish Fiddlers, she was there for it. I grew up going to Hootenannies, De Benneville Pines, Leo Carillo, the Banjo Fiddle Contest, and the Scottish Games with her. She would also play guitar and sing for kids at school up until her late 80’s!
She also loved art, specifically painting and drawing. Many people that knew her might own an oil painting or sketch by her. She was always sketching. She never left the house without a pad of paper and a black sharpie. When I was little she would draw a picture for me and I would color it in with water colors.
When she wasn’t playing music or doing art work, she was dancing, Scottish Country dancing. Or camping. She would take me camping to Yosemite, Tahoe or Leo Carillo all on her own.
Because of my mom I have a great appreciation for all types of music, all types of people, art, animals and especially nature.
Thank you mom
I love you
Rest in Peace and Harmony
*If you would like to have a tree planted in Mary Ellen’s honor, please see the donate page for the link. Mary Ellen Clark Obituary and Tribute Wall
My mother was a very active member of Songmakers up until she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018. I grew up going to the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest, hootnannies and Leo Carillo for camping and sing a longs. She was a prolific artist and if she wasn’t playing guitar and singing, she was drawing. A few of her sketches were used for the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest shirts.
She passed peacefully on 7/24/2025, I played her some of her favorite Peet Seeger songs.
Mary Ellen Clark 11/16/1927 – 07/24/2025
Rest in peace and harmony.
