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Mrs. Marie O. Clarke
Watertown __Mrs. Marie O. Clarke, 88, of Watertown, a retired math teacher and former resident of Batavia, died Tuesday, July 29, 1997, at Samaritan Medical Center. She had been a resident of Samaritan - Keep Home since January of 1994.
Mrs. Clarke was born March 20, 1908, in Bellows Falls, VT., a daughter of the late Peter and Anna McDonald Ottersland.
She and her family moved to Watertown when she was a child. She graduated from Watertown High School in 1925 and from St. Lawrence University in Canton in 1929. She was a high school math teacher in Moira, Potsdam, and Batavia, retiriing in 1969. She was a communicant of Holy Family Church and a member of Delta Kappa Gamma sorority.
In 1939 she married Ambrose R. Clarke, also a math teacher and chairman of the math departments of Potsdam and Batavia High School prior to his death in 1973.
Surviving are a sister, Alice O. Cooper of Watertown, a niece, and a nephew.
She was a sister of Thor Ottersland, who died in 1985.
A prayer service at 8:30 this morning at the D.I. Calarco funeral home, Watertown, was followed by a funeral mass at 9:00 am at Holy Family Church. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Samaritan - Keep Home Activities Fund.
Nancy Scibetta Schiller, BHS '64
I remember Mrs. Clarke - boy do I remember her. She was a no-nonsense teacher and did not take any crap from her students....You were in her class to learn and if you didn't abide by her strict rules then you were not welcome in her classroom - if you went to class unprepared or you didn't have your homework Watch Out! and I can still hear her say
"Pack up your dolls and dishes and leave!"
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Allen B Chatt
I entirely endorse the previous comments and The following from Joan Kellogg as well, but need to add:
"Mrs. Clarke, I've always tried not to be 'the weakest link in any chain' and have always endeavored to 'PLAN AHEAd' - great advice for life and I learned a lot of geometry as well. In my opinion ... A TRULY GREAT TEACHER."
Joan Kellogg (Oliverio)
Mrs Clarke was one of my favorite teachers. She made Geometry easy. She and Mr Clarke lived across the street from me all during my school years. After high school I still saw her and even when I moved out of state whenever I returned for a visit with family I always went to see her. Every christmas I received a card and a letter from her with the news of her family. One christmas the card and the letter never came. I knew then that I had lost her. She was a very dear person and I still miss her and remember all the times I spent with her in and out of school. I feel we were all fortunate to have her as a teacher. She was very dedicated to learning and to all of us. Thank you Mrs Clarke
Arthur J Torcello
I remember Mrs. Clark with fine, respectful memories of her loyalty to the world of math...and her students. What comes to mind first and foremost (along with placing a smile on my face) was her THINK signs around her classroom. Additionally her mantra was "think,think,think before you do, do, do! She would have us recite that as well as making us get up from our desks, form a line and walk around the room...when she felt that we were getting dozey and needed to clear our minds. Marie and Ambrose were a beautiful loving couple and dedicated educational professionals who knew exactly how to stimulate the minds of young people. Thank you Mr and Mrs Clarke for a job well done - RIP.