Gladys Clark

Gladys Clark

Gladys Henrietta Engbrock Clark, 95, died Saturday, May 3, 2008 at her home in San Angelo.

She was born June 18, 1912, to Alma Rosina Harfst and Elo Blasius Engbrock on their farm at Gobbler Creek near El Campo in Wharton County.

Mrs. Clark was a descendant of early Texas German settlers. She was raised in El Campo and attended Southwestern University in Georgetown from 1929 through 1931. Mrs. Clark was voted one of the twelve Campus Favorites and was also one of the campus beauties. She then attended The University of Texas at Austin from 1931-34, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in home economics in 1934. Mrs. Clark was elected to Mortar Board her senior year. She taught school in 1935 in Humble.

She met John Donald Clark, an early Texas oilman, and they were married on June 7, 1936 at the home of her parents in Wharton County. They lived primarily in Beaumont and for a short time in Bogota and Cartagena, Colombia, South America and Karachi, Pakistan when Mr. Clark supervised the opening of offices for the Sun Oil Company in their foreign operations.

After her husband retired from Sun Oil Company they lived in Houston before moving to San Angelo in 1993. They were married for 62 years until his death in 1998. Mrs. Clark was a homemaker, a teacher, an amateur genealogist writing several papers on early Texas, and was very active in her church, the United Methodist Church. She was a life member of the University of Texas Exes, the Eastern Star, the Texas German Heritage Society and the First United Methodist Church of San Angelo.

Mrs. Clark was preceded in death by her husband, John Donald Clark; a daughter, Nancy Jane Clark; sisters, Meryl Fuchs and Vivian Nanny; and a brother, Glenn Harold Engbrock.

Survivors include her three daughters, Betty Joe Mayer and husband Richard Mayer of San Angelo, Sue Wyly of Houston and Carrin Katz and husband Dr. Jerry Paul Katz of Austin; six grandchildren, John Mayer and wife Dayna of San Angelo, Kenneth Mayer and wife Kim of McKinney, Patrick McNamee of Austin, Mary Catherine McNamee of Orlando, Fla., Dr. David Katz and wife Shelly of Boston, Mass. and Stephen Katz of Berkley, Calif.; and five great grandchildren, Tyler Elizabeth Mayer and Clark Perry Mayer of McKinney, Solomon Daniel Mayer and Avery Claire Mayer of San Angelo and Campbell Stephen Katz of Boston, Mass.; and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Methodist Assistance Fund, First United Methodist Church of San Angelo or to the Methodist Home in Waco.

The family wishes to thank her doctors, Hospice of San Angelo and her special caregivers, Nellie McGraw and Odelia Perez, who faithfully cared for her for many years. Many thanks to them for their many years of service and exceptional care.

Family visitation will be held Wednesday, May 7 from 6-8 p.m. at Johnson's Funeral Home. Visitation will be held Friday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Funeral Home in El Campo. Funeral services are set for Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in El Campo under the direction of Wheeler Funeral Home. Internment will follow at Garden of Memories Cemetery in El Campo.

Arrangements by Johnson Funeral Home of San Angelo and Wheeler Funeral Home.