Alex, a descendant of a California pioneer family, died in the City of San Francisco, the home of her birth, on August 22, after a valiant battle with glioblastoma brain cancer, with her family by her side.

Alex was the daughter of the late Susan Page of San Francisco and Edgar "Sandy" Clark of Mill Valley. She grew up in San Francisco and Brussels, Belgium, attending the Convent of Sacred Heart in Brussels; the French-American Bilingual School and the Lycee Francaise in San Francisco. She held degrees in Horticulture and Culinary Sciences and also earned her BS at UC Berkeley in 1993.

After meeting her soul mate and husband, Oscar Dunn, she made her home in Florida, and also in New York City where she continued her education, earning her MS in Biology at NYU. Alex worked as an Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Biology at NYU where she helped co-author several scientific articles on plant genes.

Alex was an accomplished skier, learning the sport at a young age during family trips to Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland. She and her late husband, Oscar, were also avid tennis players and were members of the River Club in New York.

Alex is survived by her sisters Pam Clark of Carmel; Schuyler Clark Loos of Ashland, OR; brother Colin Clark of Washington D.C; nephews Alexander, Erik and Campbell; niece, Lily; aunt and uncle Pamela and Philippe Galy of Tahoe City, CA; step-mother Nancy Clark of Mill Valley, CA; brother-in-law, Curtis Harvey; sister-in-law, Judith Pearce and many loyal cousins and friends in California and New York who visited regularly and kept her engaged with the world she loved so much. She is remembered most fondly by her colleagues at NYU and Dr. Joseph Schein and his family of NYC. The family is grateful to her many wonderful caregivers over the past year, her oncology team at UCSF and Sutter Hospice of San Francisco. Memorials in her honor were held in Carmel, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and New York.

An endowment in Alex's name has been established for research of brain diseases. Contributions can be made to Mount Sinai Health System, c/o Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD., One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1049, New York, NY 10029-6574.

Our dear Alex, lover of life, has departed this earth much too soon, but those of us left know how lucky we are to have known and been loved by her.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Alexandra Clark

10 Entries

Pamela V. Clark

December 24, 2021

Thank you for the nice messages about my sister. I miss her everyday. Love Pam
This picture of her is when she lived in Tahiti. She had spent some time there as an exchange student and a few years later in a hotel on the island of Morea. When are Mom and I visited for Christmas one year she taught us how to paddle this outrigger canoe. It was pretty funny because before we got the handle on it we keep going around in circles and all the locals on the shore were laughing at this. She loved those islands

Pamela Clark

October 16, 2020

I love you Alex and miss you so much every day. Holding yiu hand whiile you passed...i loveyou throughout time and the unicerse

Juliette Beaupré Husson

September 28, 2020

Alex was my best friend at the French American bilingual school when I was about 10. She was very independent and was the first to take me out to lunch at a restaurant without adult supervision.
I loved spending weekends at her mother's where I discovered cinnamon toast (excuse me, I'm French) and at her dad's with the "funny window".
On a later trip to San Francisco, I rushed to see her again and found her unchanged and just as welcoming as ever. She taught me confidence and a greater sense of independence at an early age. I was searching for her on FB when I learnt of her passing and it still pains me terribly to have not seen har again.
All my love to her family. I will cherish this photo of Alex forever.

Juliette Husson

March 12, 2018

She was my best friend when we were ten. I came here while looking for her. My prayrs for her family.

October 10, 2017

May the God of all comfort be with the family and give you strength to endure this stressful time.

Dan Robinson

October 8, 2017

Colin and family, so sorry for this great loss...

Sue

October 8, 2017

As the days and weeks pass, and as you return to life's routine, may you continue to feel comforted by the love and support of family and friends.

Sincerely

October 8, 2017

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. May the wonderful treasures fill your hearts with love and bring you peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Hosea 13:14

October 8, 2017

To the Clark Family: My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family and friends during this difficult time. I hope that the promise in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 can bring comfort. Knowing that there's a hope for the ones we have lost in death can be so reassuring.

October 4, 2017

In God's hand is the life of every living thing and the spirit of every human. May the words of Job 12:10 bring comfort to the family during this sad and difficult time.

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