Obituary of Frances Ruth Clark

Frances Ruth (Armstrong) Clark, in her 99th year, passed away peacefully on April 22, 2021, at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital, Fredericton, NB. She was born in Saint John, NB, October 30, 1922, daughter of the late Frank and Ruth (Milne) Armstrong. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband Albert J. Clark; son David A. Clark, and brother A. Douglas Armstrong. She is survived by and will be sadly missed by her son, Brian A. Clark (Betty), Crabbe Mountain, NB; granddaughter Zoe Clark and grandson Max Clark, both in USA; daughter-in-law Dr. Stephanie Brown Clark, Rochester, NY; cousin Anne Bower (Bob), Toronto; nieces Heather McWane and Wendy Cook, Birmingham, AL, and their families, as well as her special friend Peter Waterhouse, Ste. Annes Court, Fredericton. Fran and Albert married in 1948 and raised their boys David and Brian while Albert served as a JAG officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. They had postings in Kingston, Ottawa, Barrie and Halifax, and eventually settled in Fredericton in 1969 after a posting to Base Gagetown. Fran started to work in real estate just prior to that, and so continued with that career in Fredericton. She also developed rental properties in Fredericton and Saint John. She was blessed with 2 grandchildren, Zoe and Max, who she loved dearly. She cherished their summer visits at the cottage on the Kingston Peninsula, and only wished they lived closer so she could see them more often. Camp Garwoltic was a special place for her. It was where her far flung family all came to visit in the summers, and where she loved to paddle her red canoe on the river. Fran was always physically active. She skied, played badminton at the YMCA, and taught exercise classes for a time. She took up the sport of tennis when she was in her forties, and continued to play regularly until she was 90. From 1989 to 2012 Fran and Al spent winters in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, enabling her to play tennis year round. Around the age of 70 she began taking lessons in International Style Ballroom Dance. She excelled at this and entered several Pro-Am competitions with her instructor, winning many trophies and plaques. She and Albert attended group organized dances with their Florida friends, and went on several dance oriented cruises. The game of Bridge was another of Fran’s interests, and she had regular game nights with friends in both Fredericton and Daytona Beach Shores. She also attended Friday afternoon drop-in Bridge at the Stepping Stone Center, until she was about 95 years old. Brian and Betty are most grateful for the special attention and assistance of her friends at the Stepping Stone Center. In particular, we are very grateful to Ken, who made sure Fran was returned home safely after her games. In 2015, after Albert passed, Fran moved to Ste. Annes Court Seniors Residence, where she has been fortunate to live with relative independence until about 2 weeks ago. That would not have been possible without the kind support of the staff, and especially her wonderful and caring support team at Wellness Connections Inc. In addition, over the past year or so, Fran has had the good fortune of meeting Peter, a fellow resident. Peter has been a wonderful companion for her, and the timing could not have been better. With the onset of Covid-19 and visitor restrictions, Fran was blessed to have someone special on the inside. Thanks also to the caring medical staff on 4NW at DECH. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there will be no visitation or funeral service. At a later date, when opportunity permits, her family will gather for a celebration of her life. Cremation has taken place and arrangements are entrusted to McAdam's Funeral Home. For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or a charity of the donor's choice.