Colleen Marie Clark

Our mother, grandmother, sister and friend, Colleen Marie Clark (Murphy) passed peacefully on September 20th after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. We know she is reunited with the love of her life Jerry, and they now are hand in hand watching the sunset over the beach. Thomas J and Helene (Boots) Murphy welcomed their first child Colleen on February 5th, 1949 in Baltimore Maryland followed in 1955 by brother Tim Murphy. She was educated within Catholic schools graduating from John Carroll High School in Bel Air, MD. In December of 1969 she married Barry Kefauver and had daughters Lisa and Keli. Then in 1974 they followed Tom and Helene to Kalispell, Montana. On December 31, 1976 she married the love of her life, Jerry Clark in Coeur d’ Alene, ID and gained three new daughters in Riki, Kristin and Amy. They moved to Missoula to start their new life together. During their time there, Colleen worked for the Animal Shelter and Missoula County Sheriff’s department as an animal warden. The spring of 1981 brought her brother Warren and his wife Kathy along with their family into Colleen’s life. They became some of the most important people in her world. Kathy was the sister Colleen never had. In 1984 they moved to Kalispell, Montana to care for Colleen’s ailing mother. Colleen continued her work as a local animal warden while raising her daughters and assisting Jerry in his business. In 1995 Colleen and Jerry started on a new adventure that brought them to Tacoma, Washington. Beyond the family already in Western Washington, they met and made many close friends. Colleen and Jerry enjoyed many years together until his sudden passing in 2011. Colleen cherished her family. She loved being great grandma “Gi Gi” to Peyton since 2015 and grandma to Christopher, Cody, Jacob, Alex, Ethan, and Colby. She enjoyed decorating her house, working outside in her yard and spending time with friends and family. Colleen was preceded in death by her parents Tom and Helene, her husband Gerald “Jerry” Clark, as well as brother Warren McAllister. The memory of Colleen lives on in her immediate family including daughters Lisa Wells (Terry Wells), Keli Kefauver-Powell(Thomas Powell) as well as Riki Clark, Kristin Clark, Amy Martin (Jason Martin), and sister-in-law Kathy McAllister. Colleen was incredibly proud of great-grandaugher Peyton Wells, grandsons Christopher Wells (Brittney), Cody Wells (Shelby), Jacob Powell, Alex Clark, Ethan Martin and Colby Martin. Services will be at Tahoma National Cemetery (18600 SE 240th St, Kent, WA 98042), on Wednesday, September 27th promptly at 1:15 pm with a gathering to follow at the family home.