Nancy Covert Clark

NANCY COVERT CLARK September 13, 1927 - November 14, 2021 Nancy Covert Clark, aged 94, died peacefully on Sunday, November 14, 2021, on Grosse Ile, MI. Nancy was born in Harper Hospital in Detroit on September 13, 1927, to Carl Franklin and Suzanne Stevens Wensinger of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Nancy graduated from Grosse Pointe Country Day School and matriculated to Endicott Junior College, graduating in 1947. Thereafter, she attended Michigan State University, where she was a Sigma Kappa sorority sister. Love came calling when she was wooed by the handsome and dynamic Lee Hinchman Clark, Jr. They married in 1950 and, after flipping a coin, they chose to settle in Grosse Ile over Grosse Pointe, where Lee’s family lived and where Nancy had spent her summers on idyllic Hickory Island. After a few years, Nancy and Lee found a home on Hickory for their growing family. Living there gave them access to year-round outdoor activities and to the lovely traditions and people of the original summer colony that Nancy so loved and wanted to pass on to her children. Nancy’s charming humility could not mask her strong drive to be productive and develop herself. Nancy learned to cook after she was married and was serving delighful dinners the family enjoyed together at the dining room table. Nancy displayed her creative talent in her excellent needlepoint pieces and in her garden, the latter being a life-long passion which she shared with her mother, her mother-in-law and her dear sister-in-law. Nancy kept her enthusiasim for gardening alive by creating avid gardeners in her children and grandchildren. Nancy's activities and memberships included the Grosse Ile Garden Club, at least three book clubs and Islanders, the local theater group. As Lee Clark's spouse, Nancy's activities extended to volunteering at the election day polls. After her children had left home, Nancy became a care-giver and then employed as a sales person in her cousin’s store, the Lighthouse in Trenton, working there until she was 89. Nancy was an insatiable reader and enjoyed everything from the classics to a good murder mystery. A particularly favorite author of hers was Jane Austin, which led to her membership in JASNA long before the writer was widely popular. Another was Laura Ingalls Wilder, of whom Nancy never tired and of whom many neighborhood children learned because of Nancy’s strong interest. Over the years, Nancy’s literary tastes expanded and eventually she attended evening classes at Wayne State University, where she completed her formal education with a demanding series of courses in Contemporary American Literature. For 70 years, steadfast membership at St. James Episcopal Church was a foundation of her life. Besides the growth of her faith, there was the satisfaction of the wonderful friendships she made at the church and her participation in Altar Guild, Greens Market, Rummage Sale, Bible study, church book club, choir, the New Rector Search Committee and Women on Wednesdays (WOW). Because of her “quiet and constant” commitment and involvement, she was named “Person of the Year” by her fellow parishioners in 2013. Nancy’s warmth, her interest in others and her sense of fun drew people to her and allowed her to develop a large circle of friends. Those traits made her a natural hostess and were on full display when she hosted the Thanksgiving feast for extended family, Christmas dinner or New Year’s Eve bash. Friends and neighbors were always welcome on her porch to enjoy a lemonade or a glass of wine, admire the flowers and catch up, hear of having gotten “Jeopardy” questions, or work together on her crossword puzzle. No full life is without its unhappiness and Nancy’s was no exception. Nancy was predeceased over 20 years ago by her husband, Lee, a daughter, Anne S. Trupiano, and, very recently, by her son, Lee H. Clark III. Also predeceasing her were her parents, Carl and Suzanne, and a brother, Charles F. Wensinger. Nancy is survived by a brother, Arthur S. Wensinger, of Higganum, CT daughters, Susan C. Levine (Robert) of Grand Rapids, MI and Elizabeth C. Morin (Donald) of Accident, MD and grandchildren, Elizabeth A. & Laura J. Levine and Clark D. Morin and many nieces and nephews, all of whom will miss her dearly. Thanks must be extended to Nancy’s Visiting Angel, who enriched her last five years in innumerable ways, who helped make both the tedious and the necessary fun and who became a family friend. Additional thanks go to the management and staff of Island Pines Residential Assisted Living, also, now friends, who provided the highest level of compassionate care imaginable during Nancy’s last year. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 18, at 1 o’clock p.m., at St. James Episcopal Church, with reception in Galloway Hall to follow immediately. Donations may be designated “Nancy Clark Memorial” on the memo line and sent to St. James Episcopal Church, 25150 East River Road, Grosse Ile, MI 48138.