Wilson, Mary Clark

Mary Clark Wilson passed away Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, in St. Paul, Minn.

She was born to school teachers John C. Clark and Bernice Domer Clark on June 18, 1927, in Wheatland, Iowa. After growing up in Eastern Iowa, she attended Cornell College and then graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in philosophy and a minor in music. She later earned additional credits at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in social work.

Mary married Robert F. Wilson in 1950 and subsequently had one child, Robert in Chicago. After three years she moved from Chicago with her husband and young son to Cedar Rapids, where Katharine was subsequently born and her husband was and is a practicing attorney. She divorced in 1972 and subsequently managed a retail shop and a maternity shop in Cedar Rapids. In 1995, she moved to St. Paul, Minn., to be near her children and grandchildren.

Mary was an excellent cook and piano player, who played at a local radio station early in life and later composed and played her husband's campaign radio spot. She was active in the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women and the Democratic Party. Mary later co-founded the All Church Singles Group and was an avid bridge player.

Mary is survived by her sister, Francis Alft of Elgin, Ill.; two children, Robert Wilson of Roseville, Minn., and Katharine Wilson of Minnetonka, Minn.; three grandchildren, Rebecca Hernandez of Shoreview, Minn., Adam Wilson of Shoreview, Minn., and Jessica Wilson of New York City; and four great-grandchildren, Gabriella, Zelda, Elijah and Robert. all of Shoreview, Minn.

Private services will be held at Cedar Funeral Home and a private burial will take place at the Cedar Memorial Cemetery.

Published in The Gazette Aug. 29, 2012.