Fay Jean Clark

Fay Gomarlo Clark, an educator known for her humor as much as her dedication, died on Dec. 23, in Tallahassee, Fla. Fay was born in Keene, N.H., and was raised in nearby West Swanzey, where her father owned and operated the general store. She graduated from Keene High School in 1961. During high school, she met a young Gary Clark while playing golf. The two famously made a friendly wager on the round: loser buys lunch. Both were already accomplished golfers but it was Fay who enjoyed a free hamburger that day. The couple spent the next 56 years together, sharing meals and playing golf around the world. As an educator, Fay began her career in 1965 in Winchester, N.H., after receiving her education from Endicott College and Keene State College. Fay and Gary married in 1966 and spent the next decades relocating for Gary’s 40-year career with The Associated Press and raising three children. They moved nine times around the continental United States and Hawaii before finally settling in Woodstock, Ga., where they both retired. Gary was Atlanta chief of bureau in his last AP assignment. Fay made a profound impact in the lives of her students, most notably at Pompano Beach Middle School (Florida), where she taught for eight years, and Mountain Road Elementary School (Georgia) where she taught for almost 20 years. Her area of instruction focused on middle school math and at Mountain Road, she was known to use “Fifth Grade Humor” to keep her students motivated and interested. While there, she was awarded Teacher of the Year. In April of 2020, Fay and Gary moved to Tallahassee to be closer to family. Fay was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She is preceded in death by her husband, Gary Wayne (on May 9, 2022), her mother, Clara Hart Gomarlo, and her father, Stanley J. Gomarlo. She is survived by her three children: Chadwick W. Clark (Karen), Shannon Clark Whitley (Mark), and Jason G. Clark, her brother, J. Michael Gomarlo (Jennifer), her sister, Jaqueline Bevins, and grandchildren, Victoria, Clark, Hanah, Madeline, Nathan, Camryn, Zachary and Lauren, as well as many dear cousins, nieces and nephews. There will be a funeral mass at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Tallahassee on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at 11 am. Her remains will be laid to rest next to Gary’s in Keene, N.H. The family is being assisted by Jackie Fulford and James Sircy of Young Fulford Funeral Home and Crematory, Tallahassee, FL. 850.610.4444

Fay Jean Clark

January 28, 1944 - December 23, 2023