Rev. Kathleen Clark

Kathleen Clark, age 93, passed away at home early Saturday morning, September 20, 2025. Family will greet friends from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Grace United Methodist Church in Des Moines. Funeral services will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at Grace United Methodist Church.

Kathleen was born in April 11, 1932, in Akron, Ohio to Herbert Scott Clark and Jean Risk Morton, the youngest of five children. She grew up in a family that loved swimming, her specialty was long distance, and she won the mile in her first national competition when she was twelve, only to be challenged by a Canadian WAVE (Navy) swimmer and disqualified for being too young. In college, she swam on the Lafayette Swim Club, Purdue University pre-Title IX, and that team was featured in Life Magazine. She tried out for the Olympics in 1948 and 1952, before they had distance events for women. Post-university, there was a brief professional swimming career that she said, "paid for her gold dental work."

When Kay and her husband Phil Kerber settled in Emmetsburg, Iowa, she became the Red Cross volunteer water safety director and trained the lifeguards, swimming instructors, and busloads of kids from around the county every summer for well over a decade, first in 5 Island Lake and later in the city pool. The day before she died, she was not feeling well but still went to the Y to have breakfast with her water aerobics class that she participated with four times a week throughout her retirement.

Kathleen received her BS from Purdue University and went on to teach physical education in Indiana, Virginia, and Iowa. In 1982, she began the divinity program at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City to become an ordained Methodist minister, serving Orient and Hill of Zion parishes in the Iowa Conference, later becoming a Church and Community worker in rural Iowa during the farm crisis. From there she spent ten years with the Board of Global Ministries in New York City, supervising all in-country church and community workers.

A noteworthy value that her mother instilled in Katie and her sisters was independence and the lesson was delivered through travel. They visited extended family in Scotland several times and explored the wider world, a spirit of adventure that Kathleen later shared with her own children and grandchildren. Together they enjoyed family trips to Mexico during Christmas vacations, canoe trips to Canada, toured Europe multiple times including the Munich Olympics, India, Africa, and mission trips to Central America.

Kathleen dedicated her life to service-within her family, community, and church. She was a loving parent to her children, foster parent for a few, and opened their home for many others in need of a loving home for weeks or months at a time; was an elder in the Iowa Annual Conference; was an active member and held local state and national offices in Church Women United, was a "golden girl" in the PEO sisterhood; active volunteer chaplain at Broadlawns Medical Center; and volunteer, supporter and board member of numerous community and political causes.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Herbert and Gilbert; sisters, Louisa and Janette; ex-husband, Phil Kerber; and grandson, Noah Leners. Survived by her children: Scott (Jackie), Jean, and Tom (Nora); extended family, Ed Leners (Debra) and family, Ephraim Senbetta and family, Tibebu Senbetta (Tutu) and family; grandchildren: Erika Ellenbogen, Sam Ellenbogen, Farah Ellenbogen, Christena Mittel, Connor Kerber, Riley Kerber, Sophie Newhouse, Nevin Leners; and nine great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice (formerly Justice for our Neighbors) whereas the supervisor of Church and Community workers, she hired their first immigration attorney and served on the board for a period during her retirement. Memorials may also be directed to Grace United Methodist Church.

To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Rev. Kathleen Clark, please visit our Tribute Store.