Christine CLARK

Christine Leroueil -- Comme un oiseau, le soir, Christine est retournée à son nid . CHRISTINE REED CLARK LEROUEIL JULY 31, 1952 - JUNE 3, 2005 Our beloved Christine died after her valiant and courageous struggle against melanoma, the same disease that took the life of her father last October. She faced tremendous odds from the beginning, enduring difficult treatments, side effects and setbacks. Yet that's not her complete story and certainly not the defining chapter. She was born in Richland, Washington on July 31, 1952 to Leslie and Patricia H. Clark. Ambitious from the beginning, Christine set off on what would be an adventure of the heart and mind. She attended Kelso High School where she graduated as the class Valedictorian. A Weyerhaeuser Merit scholarship winner, she graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. Choosing teaching as her life's vocation, she was a role model to her students and an inspiration to her fellow educators. She loved all things French, and introduced many a student to the joys of its language and culture. Christine will be greatly missed and will be treasured forever for her unwavering devotion to her family and her infinite love for teaching. While she was only limited to 52 years of life on this earth, her legacy will endure in the many lives she touched. She is survived by her cherished husband of thirty-one years, Pierre, whom she met at the Pax Christi conference in Strasbourg in 1973 while on her junior year abroad. The tall blonde managed to lure the dark-eyed Frenchman from his homeland to a life on the other side of the Atlantic. She is also survived by her daughter Pascale, son Marc, mother Patricia Clark, brother Douglas Clark, sister-in-law Dr. Shu-Ming Wang, and sisters Karen and Stephanie Clark. Preceding Christine in death were her son Pierre and father Leslie. The family would like to express its appreciation for the wonderful care our precious Christine received from the oncology/radiology staff at St. Francis Hospital including Drs. Senecal, Kasubhai, and Badiozamani. A special thanks and heartfelt gratitude to all of the Franciscan Hospice House nursing staff who helped us get her through her final difficult days with dignity and grace. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in her name to Franciscan Hospice House, 2901 Bridgeport Way West, University Place, WA 98466, 253-534-7000. Services will be held at Christ Lutheran Church, 2501 320th Southwest, in Federal Way at 11:00 am, Wednesday, June 8th, followed immediately by graveside services at Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn. Bonney-Watson of Federal Way is handling the arrangements, 253-839-7317. We encourage all who knew Christine to sign the online guest books at thenewstribune.com and bonneywatson.com Published in the News Tribune (Tacoma) on 6/5/2005.