Mari CLACK

May 28, 1936 - August 2, 2025

Mari was born to Dr. Clyde Jensen, a pathologist, and Mary Bard Jensen, a writer. She was raised in Seattle's Denny Blaine neighborhood with sisters, Salli and Heidi, where Mary's famous baked goods welcomed everyone in the neighborhood. Mari enjoyed ferry rides to Aunt Betty MacDonald's Vashon Island farm - where the children's adventures rivaled a good summer camp - and wonderful lunches at Frederick & Nelson with her grandmother, Sydney Bard.

Mari's life of learning started at Forest Ridge Convent and later Bush School. At the University of Washington, she joined Kappa Alpha Theta and spent a summer in Summer Stock Theater, preparing her for a lifetime onstage raising money for charitable causes and political candidates. It was at the UW where she met Dave Clack, a member of Phi Delta Theta, and in 1960 they married and began their adventure in Spokane.

They differed politically - Mari, a Democrat advocating for the rights of women, children and those facing inequality, and Dave, a Republican with a zeal for recharging Spokane's economy. However, they shared an enthusiasm for higher education. Together they've funded scholarships for first-generation college students, and for aspiring physicians from all backgrounds at the UW School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership in Spokane.

Before arriving in Spokane, Mari taught middle school and looked forward to resuming her teaching career in Spokane Public Schools. She started by teaching Episcopal Sunday School and became the best of moms, teaming with other moms to encourage daughter, Ivaly, and fellow Blue Birds and Campfire Girls to be principled and confident, and recognize the good deeds of son, Jim, and fellow Cub and Boy Scouts. As the kids were busy in elementary school, Mari empathized with busy teachers and helped jumpstart the Volunteer Aid Program in Spokane Public Schools - bringing volunteers to assist in the classroom.

And Mari wanted the Clack house to be welcoming to other kids, including those facing problems at school or at home. Mari encouraged her children to invite friends for dinner - and they were in for a treat, and not just delicious food. They had better be ready to discuss and debate everything from political candidates, proposed legislation, solutions to societal problems, theology, and enjoy some good humor too. And Christmastime brought good cheer as well – most of the time. Dave famously added two stocking stuffers to Mari's Christmas stocking without Santa's approval. The first was a big, baby-blue Hoover vacuum, and the second a 15-passenger Dodge van to haul everyone's kids to activities. The vacuum was re-gifted to Dave immediately, and the van made it two years before Santa or Jesus told Dave to replace it with a yellow Porsche.

When Expo '74 arrived, Mari joined the new Nordstrom store as a commissioned salesperson who loved helping her regular customers curate their wardrobes, and they kept coming back. She did her best to remain active with Public Radio, Planned Parenthood, YWCA, and the Democratic Party in her time off.

Mari loved to host dinner parties and soon Democratic candidates for local, state and national office started to ask Mari to host their Spokane fundraisers because they knew every detail would be covered: amazing bites of food paired with Washington wines, donations cultivated at the right moment, and personal thank you notes written. Eventually she hosted fundraisers for her childhood-friend Booth Gardner's successful gubernatorial campaign and in the process, he realized he needed a permanent director for Eastern Washington and hired Mari.

No matter what the effort, Mari really enjoyed serving on a team - listening to different viewpoints and working hard to reach a consensus – and thriving in the negotiation process to get there. Her first opportunity came when the City Council approved her nomination to the Spokane Park Board at a pivotal time for families, children and facilities. Most of the City's pools needed replacement, and Liberty Pool – which, when built in 1920, was one of Spokane's few non-segregated pools, faced closure despite heavy use by families in the diverse East Central neighborhood. She worked closely with her colleagues on the Park Board and members of the City Counsel to listen carefully to neighborhood groups, recreation experts, and concerned taxpayers, to reach a consensus and place a measure on the ballot to construct what are now some of the finest public aquatic centers in the state. They used the same process when preparing the renowned Indian Canyon Golf Course to be the site of the US Amateur Public Links Championship.

When a seat opened on the UW Board of Regents, Booth Gardener appointed Mari to a six-year term, where she served for 12 years after being reappointed by Governor Mike Lowry. Mari loved serving on committees with fellow Regents, and receiving input from faculty, students, administrators, experts, members of the public, and constantly learning from others. Known for attending the classes of great teachers, Mari advocated for the recognition of professors who went the extra mile when teaching undergraduates.

But not every volunteer position came without serious challenges. Mari served on the board and later became president of Planned Parenthood of Spokane where she earned the admiration of skeptical friends and media critics by focusing on the basic mission: to bring reproductive healthcare and education to underserved women so they could make informed choices about abstention, intimacy and parenthood.

Many remember Mari for her work with women and children. When Mari came to Spokane she volunteered with the Junior League, which gave her valuable professional development, and hours of community service delivered directly to families and children. Eventually Mari and others in the community noticed that some programs left women and children caught in a cycle of handouts, dependency and bureaucracy, which usually stunted their progress out of poverty. Mari knew women and children could retain their dignity and attain independence if they were given a hand up with solid opportunities and realistic expectations for education, housing, healthcare and childcare, so she co-founded the Women Helping Women Fund in 1992. Since then, it has raised over $7 million for over 600 grants and scholarships, and women and children have benefitted ever since.

You may have joined Mari running Bloomsday, skiing, teaching aerobics, hiking, power walking, playing tennis or pickleball, enjoying a meal or coffee, or attending a fun party. She didn't slow down unless it involved time with granddaughter Tucker - whether it was making Huckleberry sorbet in Montana, shopping until they dropped at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in downtown Seattle, finding seashells at Cannon Beach or exploring Tucker's college life in Tucson.

Mari was a person of faith and a lifelong Episcopalian. When she had breast cancer in her mid-60s, she wrote in a letter "When humans show their potential, it shows the wonder of divinity – of God – of a higher power – and the beauty of the universe – a wondrous environment, tempered only by the persistence of ignorance and greed. God works through the deeds of good people doing good things."

From childhood until her death Mari was a doer. In a speech to medical students Mari said "… and the final part of doing always involves recognizing the contribution of others. Make A-R-T part of everything you undertake: Appreciation - Recognition - Thanks. Let people around you know that what they do matters … because it does." And Mari practiced what she preached - appreciating and recognizing others in public, and handwriting personal notes of inspiration and thanks. She was a great doer!

Mari was preceded in death by parents, Mary and Jens, and sister, Salli. She's survived by husband, Dave; daughter, Ivaly (Scott) Alexander; granddaughter, Tucker Alexander; son, Jim (Grace); sister, Heidi (John) Rabel; and a sprawling cast of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Special thanks to Mari's caregivers and friends in her journey with breast cancer, and to Karla and her caregivers, nurses and wonderful friends during her final journey with Alzheimer's.

The family will hold a private memorial service. A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date. Donations in Mari's memory may be made to the Women Helping Women Fund at secure.qgiv.com/for/mariclack and UW School of Medicine-Spokane at give.uwmedicine.org/clack