Joan S. Clark

Joan Sebok Clark, of Trumbull, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 4th at her home after spending over 3 ½ years on hospice care. She was predeceased by her husband, John, her parents, Julius and Helen Sebok, and sisters Irene Sebok and Eleanore Mason. Joan was born on May 13, 1936 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and spent her childhood years during the end of the Great Depression and the onset of the Second World War, recalling having to do her homework in their hallway during air raid drills at their home in Black Rock. She graduated from Bassick High School in 1954 and went to work as a secretary for the Underwood Typewriter Company, which enabled her to purchase her first car (a blue and white Ford Fairlane) as well as travel (by plane) to Europe. In 1963, she met her future husband, John, at a church hall dance not far from her home on Scofield Avenue. John asked to walk her home, but she turned him down. After numerous phone calls (and rejections), she relented. When Joan was scheduled to take another trip to Europe, John said that if she agreed to cancel it, he would give her a ring. They married on October 19, 1963, a marriage which would last nearly 46 years. They purchased their first and only house in Easton, Connecticut for the princely sum of $17,900. While in Easton, they enjoyed the company of a closeknit group of friends who they met mostly through Notre Dame Church. Like their faith, these bonds of friendship were deep, though much of their love and energy went to raising their children, Maura and Patrick. Joan remained a homemaker during their childhood years, later becoming a secretary at Helen Keller Middle School and then Sacred Heart University. Joan retired from Sacred Heart so that she could spend time with John, but more importantly, her grandchildren. Following John's death in 2009, Joan remained in Easton until 2018 when the house, in which the family had shared so many memories, became burdensome. However, not long after moving to Trumbull, her health began to fail, requiring 24 hour care for over 5 years while on hospice for 3 ½. In the days leading up to her death, a peace came over her. She smiled and laughed, telling her caregiver and hospice nurse that she needed to pick out a beautiful dress for she would soon be off to "the big party" where her family and friends were waiting. She died in her sleep, peaceful and content. While we have said it so many times before, thank you Mom for all that you have done for us. And now enjoy the party. Joan is survived by her daughter, Maura Zimmerman, and her husband Andrew, of Weston, MA and her son, Patrick Clark, and his wife, Emily, of Trumbull, as well as her four grandchildren, William, Maeve, Abigail and Elizabeth. We would like to thank her various caregivers but especially Tamara, with whom she spent her final months, her hospice nurse Teresa and aide Claudia, and care managers Carley and Lisa. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11:00a.m., meeting directly in St. Theresa Church, 5301 Main Street, Trumbull, with a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in Union Cemetery, Easton. Friends may call Friday from 4:00p.m. to 7:00p.m., in the Redgate – Hennessy Funeral Home, Main Street and 4 Gorham Place, Trumbull. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Salvation Army – Bridgeport or the Paralyzed Veterans of America. To send online condolences please visit www.redgatehennessy.com