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Gail Clark, 79

Gail Clark was born Gail Anita Herr on April 19, 1939, in Spokane, Wash., to Mildred Angle and Glen Herr, descendants of German immigrants.

Her mother Mildred Angle died at the age of 78. She was a good cook, a waitress at Leo’s and a well-thought-of citizen of Worley, Idaho. Her father Glen Herr logged the mountains of Idaho, Montana and Oregon. After separating in 1948 Mildred moved Gail and her sisters Sylvia and Vickii from their home in Kendrick, Idaho, to Lewiston, Idaho. After marrying Bob Sampson, mother and the girls moved to the farm in Worley. Mildred later married Ralph Lovejoy, a member of the Worley City Council and owner of Worley Welding Works. Gail, Sylvia, and Vickii were adopted by Ralph in 1952.

After graduating from Worley High School, class of 1958, Gail moved with a girlfriend to Spokane. There she met Tom Clark, a student at Gonzaga Law School. They married later that year and made their life in Mercer Island, Wash.

Gail lived in an age from Elvis to Peter Max. She was hip to current fashion, wore Go-Go boots and hot pants, liked cars, good food, and politics. Gail was infamous in the family for her Joe Namath centerfold, and her delicious homemade potato salad. For the decades after the birth of her daughter Michelle and son Scott, she was a woman bursting with life. In the late 1970s, she declared her goal of becoming an influential feminist. Gail worked at Boeing as a machinist until her retirement.

Gail died suddenly Thursday, June 29, 2017, with her devoted sister Vickii and nephew Douglas at her bedside in Federal Way, Wash. She was 78. The cause of death was heart complications.

Gail is survived by her sisters Vickii and Sylvia, daughter Michelle and husband Sean, son Scott and wife Robin, and grandchildren (Collin and Brandon Santos, Thomas and Alex Clark) niece and nephews (Douglas and Michael Beal, Terri, Tammi, Tracii, and Mike Hickman). She was formerly married to prominent Seattle judge Tom Clark.

Gail lived her life on her own terms; she will be missed by all whose lives she touched. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gail Clark’s name and her beloved dog Angus to The Seattle Humane Society at 13212 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005 or online at seattlehumane.org.

A celebration of Gail’s life will be held at a later date.