Heather H. Clerkin

1942 - 2025

Heather H. Clerkin, 82, of Bedford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts on June 24, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1942, Heather was the daughter of the late Lloyd and Virginia (Funston) Heberling. Heather and her sisters, Holly and Dawn, were very close, as can be seen in many early family photos showing them wearing matching outfits made by their mother, Tu-tu. Heather graduated from Greenwich High School in 1960 where her yearbook caption described her as “The rare combination of beauty and brains.” She began her college education at the University of Connecticut before transferring to Simmons College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Retailing in 1966.

In the mid-1960s, Heather made Bedford her home, where she lived for over six decades. With a sharp mind for numbers and computers, she worked for many years at McCracken Financial Solutions, retiring in 2002.

It was at McCracken that Heather met her future husband, Andrew “Andy” Clerkin, in 1975. Andy was immediately drawn to her confidence, intelligence, sense of humor, and beauty. A few months after they met, Heather boldly asked Andy to go out for drinks after work. He replied, “I always run after work,” to which she countered, “What do you do when it rains?” One rainy day, Heather playfully arranged a faux group outing. She told Andy she and a friend were going out for drinks and invited him along. What Andy didn’t know was that the friend had already agreed not to show. That rainy-day “group outing” turned into their first date. Two years later, they were married. Over the next 48 years, Heather and Andy built a joyful life together filled with laughter, warmth, and deep devotion.

Retirement brought Heather great joy, as she devoted herself fully to family, friendships, and community. She volunteered tirelessly, serving meals at the Bedford Council on Aging three days a week for over 20 years. She also gave rides to seniors so they could attend lunch programs. Earlier in life, she introduced elementary students to computers at Davis School, served as a Girl Scout leader, and volunteered in the school library and at teacher appreciation events. She also cared deeply for veterans, organizing monthly teas for the Ladies of the VA and helping wheelchair-bound vets enjoy café snacks and conversation.

Heather was an active member of St. Michael Parish, where she played in the bell choir for many years and was a member of the St. Michael’s Women’s Club. She also found a deep connection through the Bedford Women’s Club, and she loved participating in COA programs, including her weekly ukulele group.

Heather was an avid reader, loved to crochet, and had a special fondness for making Christmas ornaments. She enjoyed playing bridge, Scrabble, and card games, and more recently took to popular online word and math games like Wordle and Mathler. She loved attending plays and musicals at the Burlington Playhouse and North Shore Music Theatre.

Most of all, Heather cherished time with her family. She couldn’t get enough of her three daughters, Susan, Jennifer, and Kelly. She loved talking and spending time with each of them and their families. She looked forward each year to summer vacations at “Serenity” on Abrams Pond in Maine and winter weekends in North Conway. Whether watching her grandchildren swim or gathering around a card game, she was always the heart of the family. Her family and friends will miss her contagious laughter and cheerful, welcoming spirit.

Heather is survived by her loving husband, Andy Clerkin; her children and their spouses: Susan Patterson and her husband Frank of Bolton, Jennifer Muhammad and her husband Sharif of Jamaica Plain, and Kelly Randazzo and her husband Jay of Bedford; her grandchildren: Frank Jr., Meghan, Travis, Randy and Elster Patterson, Corinne and Drew Muhammad, and Anthony, Christopher, and Carolena Randazzo; her great-grandchildren: Clayton, Oaken, and Sadie Patterson; and her sisters: Virginia “Holly” Hoyt of Clinton, CT, and Dawn McCready and her husband Rob of Charleston, SC. She was predeceased by her brother-in-law, Jim Hoyt. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Michael Church, 90 Concord Rd., Bedford, on Thursday, July 3, at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Pan-Mass Challenge, 77 4th Ave, Needham, MA 02494 or https://www.pmc.org/.