Sherry Clark

Sherry Ann Clark, 57, of Philomath died of breast cancer at sunset on April 23. She was born in Fort Sill, Okla., to Orval Clark and Shirley Bruce. She grew up in Oklahoma and California, eventually coming to Oregon for college, where she met her future husband, Robert Durst. She earned an Associate of Science degree at San Bernadino Valley College; a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979 at Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University), with an endorsement to teach biology; and a Master of Science degree in education in 1988 at Oregon State University. Sherry was a teacher all her life. She taught biology at middle and high school in Mapleton, keyboarding and computer skills at Western View Middle School in Corvallis, and introductory computer science and computer ethics at OSU. For a short time, Sherry was technology coordinator for Lane Education Services District. She spent one year with her family as an exchange teacher in Auckland, New Zealand, teaching computer skills and mathematics. She is survived by her husband; son, David; daughter, Megan; and four half-brothers, Art, Kevin and Keith Clark, and Mike Chance. Sherry enjoyed sewing, quilting, fused glass, gardening, cooking and old black-and-white romantic movies. She loved to host parties for family and friends, especially an annual white elephant party featuring her decadently rich Yule Log (highly modified from a recipe in the Gazette-Times years ago). Her sense of humor permeated everything she did and everyone she encountered. She wanted to raise kids who were world citizens and knew firsthand how folks live in other parts of the world. She fulfilled that goal, as both kids graduated with foreign language degrees and have spent considerable time abroad, traveling, working or on exchange programs. To reciprocate that, we hosted foreign exchange students from Brazil, Ecuador and Japan in our home. Sherry traveled all over the world, spending time on six of the seven continents (she never got to Africa). She biked through northern Europe, skied on Mount Erebus in Antarctica, hiked in South America, and rafted the Colorado and many Northwest rivers. She dyed fabric on the Rio Negro (tributary of the Amazon) for quilting projects. She took pictures everywhere. Closer to home, she put up with her husband’s daVinci Days kinetic sculpture ambitions, and did all of the artwork for him. As a teacher, she taught the community how to build giant puppets. Figuring that a temporary dog would satisfy the kids’ desire for a puppy, she got the family involved in raising Guide Dog puppies. The first one career-changed and lived with us for 15 years. When the third one finally succeeded, Sherry wanted another. That one also career-changed, and has been with us for nine years. So much for temporary dogs. She fought breast cancer and recurrences for more than 18 years, but during that time lived life to its fullest. When first diagnosed, she convinced the G-T to do an article on her journey. This ended up being an award-winning special section in the G-T (Sunday, Feb. 13, 1994). For her efforts to inform others of the challenges of dealing with breast cancer, she was the recipient of one of the 1995 OSU Women of Achievement Awards. One of her quilts graces the cover of “An Unexpected Challenge: Breast Cancer Stories from Benton and Linn Counties.” Her final lesson and lasting legacy is a booklet (“Understanding, Managing and Living with Malignant Wounds: A Resource Guide for Patients and Caregivers”) on wound care for folks like herself who eventually develop malignant wounds (available at www.bentonhospice.org/malignant wound.pdf ). Contributions to the wound care booklet can be made in her name to Benton Hospice Service. She will be missed by one and all.

Tributes

Sherry Clark

April 10, 1955 - April 23, 2012