Patricia Clark

On January 2, 2022, Tricia Clark lost her battle with cancer at home with her family and joined her Maker in heaven, where she was reunited with her parents, sister, in-laws, and nephews who went before her.

Patricia Barbara (Tricia) Nolan was born to Thomas Bernard and Veronica Barbara (Ronnie) Nolan on July 11, 1948. Patricia was the sister of Thomas Bernard Jr. (Tommy), Mary Ellen (Molly), Kathleen Ann (Kay), Judith Eileen (Judy), Elizabeth Jean (Betty), Paul Michael (Mike), Margaret Monica (Monica), John Joseph (John) and Theresa Anne (Terry).

She grew up in White Center, a suburb of Seattle, Washington, as the ninth in a family of ten children. She attended Holy Family Grade School and graduated in 1966 from Holy Rosary High School in West Seattle. She was awarded a scholarship to beauty school and worked as a hairstylist for several years. She lived on Queen Anne Hill for several years and worked in retail at Frederick & Nelson’s department store in downtown Seattle. It was while working for Hertz Rental Car at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and living at Lakota Beach in Federal Way, Washington, that she met Roger Clark.

Tricia and Roger married on April 15, 1989, at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Federal Way. In 1994 while living in Tukwila, Washington, they lovingly became foster parents for the Humphrey sisters Michelle (age 3) and Gina (age 2) until 1997 and have remained a constant presence in their lives. In 1996 they became foster parents for siblings Sara (age 7) and Greg (age 5) and then adopted Sara and Greg on October 29, 1999.

Tricia was a devoted wife, full-time mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and homemaker and was famous for her cooking and especially for her baking. She inherited the unofficial title of family cookie diva from her Aunt Margaret Budinick. Tricia loved gathering family and friends together in their home for birthdays and holidays. Tricia and Roger were avid family road trippers and campers throughout the Pacific Northwest and also enjoyed traveling to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Europe. Tricia was always a loving and generous sister. She took up jewelry making and was constantly reading some exciting fiction novel.

After the children were grown and Roger retired from baggage handling and maintenance at Alaska Airlines, Tricia and Roger moved to their newly
constructed home on a beautiful plot of land with a view of the Blue Mountains in Walla Walla in August 2016. Tricia was truly thrilled with their new home and city and continued to be the quintessential hostess. She and Roger welcomed family and friends to visit and frequently hosted overnight guests and happily gave guided tours of Walla Walla’s wineries, shopping, scenic and historical sites. Tricia looked forward each morning to examining her flower beds, and she especially loved her peonies and hibiscus. In fair weather, Tricia and Roger enjoyed their coffee in the morning on the back patio overlooking Roger’s amazingly green lawn and watching the sunsets from their front porch in the evenings. They added to their circle of friends by making new friends in their neighborhood and became active members of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin parish. Tricia will be sorely missed as the heartbeat of her immediate and extended family. After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in February 2020, Tricia maintained a positive attitude and remained active – a true cancer warrior and inspiration to us all.

Tricia was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Veronica Nolan; and sister (Betty Bochsler). She is survived by Roger, her loving husband of 32 years; daughters, Sara, Michelle (Andrew), and Gina (Isaiah); son, Greg (KC); seven grandchildren, Malina (age 11), Evan (age 10), Marilyn (age 8), Wyatt (age 7), Silas (age 4) and Ezra & Eli (age 2); brothers, Tom, Mike and John Nolan; sisters, Molly Malloy, Kay Boyle, Judy Clark, Monica Bradley, and Terry Toth; in-laws, Marilou Nolan, Karen Nolan, Susan Nolan and Steve Toth; numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.

A memorial mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at 415 W Alder Street in Walla Walla on Saturday, January 29 at 9:30 AM with live streaming at https://boxcast.tv/view/patricia-clark-funeral-696930. Friends and Family are invited to sign the online guest book at: www.herringgrosclose.com. The mass will be immediately followed by an interment at Mountain View Cemetery, 2120 S 2nd Ave, Walla Walla. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the church Tricia & Roger regularly attended: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, 2098 E Alder St, Walla Walla, WA 99362, noting it is in memory of Tricia Clark.