Joyce Yvonne Clarke

Joyce Yvonne Blackman Clarke, 80, of Missoula, passed away Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, at St. Patrick Hospital.

She was born Aug. 17, 1933, in Lewistown to Robert and Marie Blackman. The family later moved to St. Ignatius, where Joyce enjoyed being the eldest of six children. She graduated from Mission High School in 1951.

On June 12, 1954, she married Eugene W. Clarke in Missoula. They later moved to Kalispell, where they raised their four children. Joyce worked at First Federal Savings and Loan (Glacier Bank) in the loan department.

In 1983, to pursue her dream of helping others, she made the courageous decision to move to Seattle, where she enrolled in Seattle University and earned her certificate in drug and alcohol counseling. Joyce indelibly changed the lives of countless individuals during her years as a counselor. She enjoyed working with teens and adults throughout their recovery process. Upon retiring in 1998, she returned to Montana.

During her 15 years of retirement in Missoula, she enjoyed volunteering at local schools, Missoula Aging Services, multiple political campaigns and was a member of Altrusa Club of Missoula and the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. More than anything, she cherished spending time with friends and family, frequently sharing her thoughts and sometimes strong opinions on how we could all make this world a better place for everyone.

Joyce was the absolute best mom in the world! Not only to her own children and their spouses, but to many others over the years. Her grandchildren were the light of her life and she adored spending time with them whenever possible. She was a sister anyone would be lucky to have and a friend all would cherish. Her kindness and compassion for people from all walks of life endeared her to many. She was politically active and stood up for causes she felt were destructive to our planet or detrimental to our country. She handled every situation throughout her life with the utmost grace, including her recent illness. She will be greatly missed.

Joyce is survived by sons, David Clarke (Diane) and Mike (Carla) Clarke; daughters, Caren (Russ) Swinger and Donna Barragan (Kevin); grandchildren, Alex (Beth) Williams, Elizabeth (Jared) Richardson, Wade and Michelle Clarke and Brenna Swinger; and great-grandchildren, Annabelle and Madeline Williams. She is also survived by brothers, Robert (Stephanie) Blackman, Fred (Sharon) Blackman, Bert (Eva) Blackman and Gary Blackman; sister, Mary Ann (Jerry) Buckhouse; as well as numerous nieces, nephews. great-nieces and great-nephews.

A celebration of Joyce's life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at Garden City Funeral Home with a reception to follow, provided by Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Please bring pictures, stories and memories you would like to share. As this is a celebration of her life, cheerful attire is requested, as would have wanted.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center or Poverello Center in Missoula.
Read Joyce Clarke's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.