Letha J. Clark

Letha Joyce Clark, 86, of Longview passed away March 13, 2009, at the Hospice Care Center.

Letha was born to Allen William and Josephine (Childers) Parsons Jan. 21, 1923, in Hartshorne, Pittsburg County, Okla.

She was preceded in death by paternal grandparents, Alexander John and Elizabeth Letha (Rohelia) Parsons formerly of Tracy City, Grundy County, Tenn.; and her maternal grandparents, Joseph William and Mary Abey (Quinn) Childers, formerly of Wilburton, Latimer County, Okla.

Her parents met in Pittsubrg County and married Nov. 22, 1921, in Wilburton. Letha moved from Oklahoma as a baby with her parents to Broadhead, Las Animas County, Colo., where her sister, Mary Catherine, was born Feb. 21, 1925. Letha and her family later moved to Bizbee, Ariz., where her father, his brothers and her mother's brother, all worked in the historical Lavendar Pitt copper mine. They all lived in the historical Copper Queen Hotel.

Letha's parents divorced in 1929 and both remarried. Her mother married Walter F. Brown. Letha, her mother, sister and Walter moved to Minnesota at the beginning of the Depression. Letha attended school in Kelsey, Cotton and Duluth, Minn. During World War II, Letha and her family moved to Rolla, Mo., where Walter was stationed in the Army.

Letha married her high school friend, Joseph Frank Jeanetta in Rolla July 23, 1942, and from this union she had a son, Tony Joe Jeanetta, and a daughter, Patricia Joyce Jeanetta.

Letha and her sister moved from Rolla to Longview with their parents before World War II ended. At the end of World War II, Letha's and Mary's husbands joined them. Letha and Joseph later divorced.

Letha married Russel S. Clark Sr., Dec. 1, 1949, in Kelso, her husband of 45 years. From this union, she had three sons, Russel Stanley Clark Jr., Paul Richard Clark and Frank Alexander Clark; and a daughter, Letha Joyce Clark Jr.

Letha was preceded in death by both husbands; her very dear sister-in-law, Mae B. (Clark) Moon; and a brother, Wallace Edward Parsons.

She is survived by six children, Tony Joe Jeanetta and his wife, Irene (Moreland) of Longview, Patricia Joyce (Jeanetta) Kallunki and her husband, Richard of Eugene, Russel Stanley Clark Jr., and his wife, Teena (Hale) of Kelso, Paul Richard Clark of Longview, Francis Alexander Clark of Kelso and Letha Joyce Clark Jr., of Longview; her sister, Mary Catherine Bailey of Castle Rock; her grandchildren, Matthew Richard Kallunki, Nicholas Paul Kallunki and his wife, Cynthia (Cook), Sherree Rose Clark, Heather Rochelle Clark, Mariah Ruth (Clark) Yates and her husband, Rick, Aaron Michael Clark and his wife, Tina (Clark), Russel Allen Clark and Joshua Seth Clark; her great-grandchildren, Kayla Chantelle Clark and Austin Clark Beavers, David Clark Anderson, Sadie and Jerrid Clark, Francis Echo and Elise Colleen Yates, Calvin Nguyen, Talia Joyce and Barbara Irene Clark, Keira Mae and Aidan Michael Clark.

Throughout Letha's life she always remained a happy and positive person. She touched many lives with her sweet and positive nature. She is remembered lovingly by her family and friends.

A memorial and graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Steele Chapel at Longview Memorial Park & Crematory, 5050 Mount Solo Road, in Longview.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Community Home Health & Hospice, P.O. Box 2067, Longview, WA 98632.

Please sign the guest book at www.tdn.com/obits.


This obituary was originally published in The Daily News (Longview, WA).