TOPSHAM – Patricia Steffens Clark, 97, of Topsham and Center Ossipee N.H., died on April 25, 2021 in Topsham. Patricia was born in Farmington, Maine in 1923 to the late Richard and Dorothy (Buker) Steffens.

Pat graduated from Palmer (Massachusetts) High School and Wheaton College, Norton Mass. as a member of the class of 1945. Her college years coincided with those of World War II and she often shared memories of the impact the war had on her college experience – rationing, blackout shades, and transportation restrictions. After college, Pat moved to New Haven, Conn. where she worked as a claims adjuster for Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. It was in New Haven that she met her future husband, Cornelius E. Clark Jr., a law student at Yale. They married in 1948.

Pat lived in Farmington, Conn. and later in New Britain, Conn. She became an active member of the Junior League of New Britain, working on early childhood education projects and supporting the Art Museum of New Britain. She became a Kindergarten teacher in New Britain. Pat received a master’s degree in education from Central Connecticut State University and a sixth year certificate in school psychology from the University of Hartford. She became District Supervisor of Psychological and Social Work Services in the New Britain School district, until her retirement in 1985.

During retirement, Pat lived in Nokomis, Fla. and Center Ossipee, N.H. She volunteered at the libraries in both towns to promote literacy. She loved to travel and was always planning her next trip. She traveled throughout the U.S. and to nearly every continent in the world. She and Neil spent 13 summers on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

In 2005, Pat moved from Nokomis, Fla. to The Highlands in Topsham. She chose to live out her last years near Bowdoin College in order to audit courses there. She especially enjoyed auditing film courses, as she loved old movies and Hollywood. She spent six months a year at her cottage in Center Ossipee, N.H. where she volunteered as a docent at the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, N.H. until 2016. She enjoyed learning new things. When she was 90, Pat was given an iPad which she always said was the best present she ever got. She used it to contact old friends and research her genealogy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she learned how to use Zoom!

Pat’s husband, Neil, predeceased her in 2018. Pat is survived by her son, Jonathan, of Hartford, Conn. and her daughter, Amy and her husband, Paul DeSimone, of Cambridge, Mass.; and her grandchildren, Alison DeSimone (John Chittum) of Kansas City, Mo. and Nicholas DeSimone (Megan Cooper) of Reading, Mass.

Pat’s family members wish to express their profoundest thanks to caretakers, activities coordinators, social workers, hair stylists, and administrative personnel at The Highlands, CHANS Hospice, and Neighbors Inc. for the joyful, compassionate, and loving way they have cared for Pat since 2018.

There will be a private graveside service at the Grant Hill Cemetery in Center Ossipee, N.H., date to be determined.

Arrangements are in the care of Funeral Alternatives, 46 Bath Rd, Brunswick. Condolences may be expressed at http://www.funeralalternatives.net.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the

Ossipee Public Library,

P.O. Box 638,

Center Ossipee, NH 03814

(http://ossipee.lib.nh.us/) or the

Lakes Region

Conservation Trust,

P.O. Box 766,

Center Harbor, NH 03226

(https://lrct.org/join-support/donate-now/)

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