June Hale Clark

June Hale Clark, age 95, formerly of Johnson City, Tennessee, went home to Glory on Saturday, December 3, 2022, in Houston, Texas.

June was a native of Morristown, Tennessee and had lived in Johnson City since 1987. She was a daughter of the late George Lafayette Hale, Sr. and Selma Susong Hale. June’s father died when she was 12 years old. Mrs. Selma Hale raised Vernon, Sara Pat, Harriet, June, and George Jr. on her own on the farm they called Solitude, on Fish Hatchery Road.

June graduated from Morristown High School. She attended Salem College and Carson-Newman College, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1949. June met her husband at CN and they both graduated in the class of 1949. On June 23, 1951, James and June Clark were married at Rocky Point Baptist Church in Morristown. James was from Abingdon, Virginia. They were married 68 years.

In 1953, June and James were appointed as missionary teachers to the Belgian Congo. They served 34 years as educational missionaries in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They served at several missionary stations, Sona Bata, Vanga, Kinshasa, Nsona Mpangu, and at Sona Bata from 1977-1987. They retired as missionaries in 1988. Jeanie and Sylvia, the two youngest daughters, were born in Congo. James and June taught in French in DRC.

June has been a member of Central Baptist Church since the 1960s. June was very involved in Women on Mission (WMU), Vacation Bible school, and the Joy Senior Choir after they retired in 1987.

In addition to her parents, June was preceded in death by her husband, James Buchanan Clark; daughter and son-in-law, Betty Sue Clark and Monty Peters; brother and sister-in-law, Vernon and Annis Hale; brother and sister-in-law, George L. Hale, Jr. and Vada Hale; brother-in-law, Dudley Brown; sister and brother-in-law, Harriet Hale Parker and Rev. Calvin Parker.

Those left to cherish her memory include her daughters, Jean and Chip Trout of Cypress, Texas and Sylvia Taylor of Elkhart, Indiana; sister, Sara Pat Hale Brown of Morristown (who is celebrating her 100th birthday on December 9); brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John and Ina Clark of Kingsport, Tennessee; six grandchildren, Charlotte Herink, James Peters, Tim Peters, Sara Peters, Dr. Rachel Hill, and Jenny Trout; six great-grandchildren; and many loving nieces and nephews.

June was raised in a Southern Baptist home and church. Her mother played piano and organ at church. The Susong grandchildren would visit their grandparents every Sunday afternoon. June and Harriet taught at Springvale Elementary School during the years they attended Carson-Newman College.

June loved to sing hymns, cook, entertain, play Canasta, sew, and make mango pies. She liked to take her family to the beach and walk on the beach. June could not swim, but she took an adult swimming class at Munsey Memorial Methodist Church in 1988. Jim and June were founding members of Maple Crest community, moving there in October 2005.

June’s family and husband learned so much about Dementia from June’s last 15 years. She slowly forgot the names of her friends, her grandchildren, her daughters, and even her husband. She had two car accidents while driving with dementia. She was a fighter and she could still sing, pray, and even speak in French, but she slowly forgot everything even Fish Hatchery Exit I-81. June was a loving Christian mother and friend. She loved her daughters, Betty, Jeanie, and Sylvia.

June’s family will receive friends from 10:00-11:00 am, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am, on Saturday, December 10, 2022, at Morris-Baker Funeral Home. A reception will immediately follow the funeral. Friends and family will reconvene at 2:30 pm at Mountain View Baptist Church Cemetery (26697 Old Saltworks Rd.), Meadowview, Virginia, for a committal service. Reverend Bill Moore will officiate services.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to International Ministries (American Baptist) 1003 W. 9th Ave. Suite A, King of Prussia, PA 19406 (on check put attn: Katherine and Wayne Niles DRCongo), Cooperative Baptist Fellowship P.O. Box 102972, Atlanta, GA 30368 (on check Missionaries Mile and Lynn Hutchinson, Togo), and Alzheimer’s Tennessee (https://www.alztennessee.org/give/donate-now).

The family wants to thank the following memory care places for taking care of our parents from 2014-2022. Our mother fought dementia for 15 years and our father wanted to be with his wife and he stayed with her in memory. In Tennessee, a special thank you to Pine Oaks (2014-2015), Lakebridge Nursing Home (2017), and Dominion of Bristol (2018-2019). In Mississippi, special thanks to Provision Living and Alden Pointe (2015-2017). In Texas, a special thank you to Apex Oaks, Auberge of Cyrpresswood, Avalon, Spring Cypress, and the Heritage of Cy Fair (2019-2022). We would also want to thank Dr. Michael Groserode and his group for their years of health care. We also want to extend a huge thank you to Riversource and Gemworth for their long care insurance given to my parents for many years.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the Clark family via www.morrisbaker.com

Morris-Baker Funeral Home, 2001 E. Oakland Ave., Johnson City, is honored to serve the Clark family.