Clark, Nancy Irene

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Nancy Irene Clark (nee Nunziata Sardone) on Thanksgiving Day, October 13, 2024, in her 105th year.
 
Nancy was born on August 16, 1920 in Vancouver, BC. Her parents, Nicola and Beatrice (Granny, Nonna) Sardone, immigrated to Canada from Altamura in Puglia, Italy.  Nicola arrived to BC in 1909 and Beatrice followed in 1918, with their eldest son Mike, due to travel delays from the war.
 
Nancy grew up in East Vancouver alongside her siblings Mike, Joe, Tony and Mary, in the Depression era where she described her family as more fortunate than others. Nancy would go on to become a women’s suffragette and school teacher.  
 
In her early twenties, Nancy travelled to the small town of Topley, BC, for her first teaching job.  It is there where she met her first love and devoted husband, William Clark.  They were married for 39 years, and lived much of their life on an acreage in Port Coquitlam with their two children, before moving back to Vancouver in the late ‘70s.  William passed away in Vancouver in 1982.  Nancy never dated again.
 
To Nancy, blood was thicker than water. She is survived by her two children, Nancy and William, her grandchildren, Jonathan, Emily, Madeline, Katy, Barbie, Adam and David, her great grandchildren, Lumi, Everett, Nicola and Valentino, her nieces and nephews and her dear friend Lily who she met later in life.
 
“Tell-it-like-it-is Nancy” was known for her animated and dramatic nature.  She was a boisterous and often mischievous person who kept dozens of dog treats in her purse at all times and referred to brandy as medicine.  She was a complicated woman ahead of her time, who let her opinions be heard from a mile away.
 
Nancy will be remembered for her unfailing honesty and fierce loyalty to her family.  The world is a quieter and more boring place without her.
 
Nancy firmly believed that animals were better than people. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you make a donation to the SPCA in her memory at https://spca.bc.ca/donate/
  
Nancy’s funeral will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at Mountain View Cemetery, located at 5455 Fraser St., Vancouver, BC, where there will be a brief gravesite service followed by a reception/celebration of life at 4070 West 33rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC.