Lorene Evelyn Clark

1916 - 2012

Lorene Evelyn (Brain) Clark
4/21/1916 - 2/5/2012


Former Citrus Heights resident Lorene Evelyn (Brain) Clark, of Newberg, Ore., died February 5, 2012 at Friendsview Retirement Community. She was 95.
She was born April 21, 1916 in Altona, Kingfisher County, Oklahoma to Porter and Marie (Ghering) Walker. When she was three, her parents moved to Folsom, Calif., to do farming. She lived there the rest of her growing up years.
After graduating from San Juan High School in neighboring Citrus Heights, she attended Portland Bible Institute (later Cascade College) in Portland, Ore., for one year. Then she attended Upthegrove School of Beauty Culture in Sacramento, Calif., where she obtained her license as a hairdresser.
She worked in that profession until her marriage to Melvin Brain on June 29, 1941. They made their home in Citrus Heights, Calif., for the next 45 years. Melvin worked for Pacific Fruit Express Railroad Company.
Lorene's best friend since high school was Ariel Brown. Since she and Mel had no children, she considered the five Brown children as her own family.
She and Mel were members and very active in the Citrus Heights Friends Church. Lorene enjoyed playing the piano. She accompanied the hymn singing in the Sunday evenings services and for children's Sunday school for many years.
Lorene had a heart for teaching children the Word of God. She taught a Good News Bible club in her home for 30 years. After Mel's retirement, she and Mel traveled throughout California, southern Oregon, and Nevada in their motor home, teaching workshops to train people to paint flannel graph backgrounds for teaching the Bible lessons. She also hand painted and sold the backgrounds to Good News Club teachers.
Lorene and Mel enjoyed traveling. When they taught the workshops, they would do some sightseeing in the area where they were teaching. They also took two trips around the United States in their motor home. She loved gardening. She always had a big vegetable garden, some fruit trees, and lots of flowers.
They moved to the Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg, Ore., in 1985, where her mother Marie had moved a few months before. There Lorene continued her service as a pianist, helper, and caregiver for many until the last couple of years of her life.
Melvin passed away in 1991. A year later, Lorene married Roy Clark, whose wife had died two weeks after Melvin died. She was a wonderful wife to Roy, and they had ten happy years together before Roy passed away in 2002.
Lorene has no remaining blood relatives, but is survived by the four remaining Brown children and the nine Clark step-children, along with their spouses and numerous grandkids and great-grandkids.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 2 p.m., at West Chehalem Friends Church, with Paul Almquist officiating. Burial will be at Friends Cemetery in Newberg.
Memorial contributions may be made to Friendsview Resident Assistance Fund, West Chehalem Friends Church or Child Evangelism Fellowship.
Cards can be sent to The Clark Family, c/o David Brown, 7500 McKay Road, St. Paul, OR 97137.