Obituary for Shirley Mae Clark
Shirley Mae Cola-Clark was born July 1,1935 to Thomas Sr. and Oreolia Cola
in Napoleonville, La. She was the youngest girl of her eight brothers and four sisters
and attended Bertrandville Louisiana High. Her and her family served as members of
Beulah Baptist Church.
She left home as a teenager and lived with her sister Ruby Hamilton in New
Orleans where she met and married Robert Plummer and had three beautiful
daughters. At the end of that union, in 1966 she took her daughters and made the trip
by train to California to live with her eldest sister Alma Hamilton. She and her sister
worked a short time at Red Star Industrial where they provided linen to nursing
homes. She then worked at a cafe where she met and married her soul mate Alfred
Clark Jr. in 1970. During the early years of their life together she worked at
Montgomery Ward up until the arrival of the youngest child Pamela Clark in 1974
after which she retired and poured her heart into raising and nurturing her family.
Shirley has always been very active in church since a young age and found a
home at Bible Fellowship where she sang in the choir and worked faithfully in the
kitchen. In 1979 they decided to move to Tracy where they bought a farm and raised
livestock and horses. They made a new home and church family at Good News
Missionary Baptist Church (formerly known as Rock West). She was involved in
many auxiliaries at church: deaconess and the missionary board. The couple
ventured into business together by opening the 1st barbecue restaurant in Tracy
called C&C Southern Barbecue. When she wasn’t blessing customers with her
catfish, peach cobbler, and potato salad at the restaurant, Shirley enjoyed camping,
riding horses with the valley Boys and Girls, and traveling with the Golden Agers
exploring new adventures.
Preceding her in death are her parents Thomas Sr. and Oreolia Cola, sisters
Alma Hamilton, Ruby Hamilton, Myrtle Hickerson and brothers Thomas Cola Jr.,
Lewis Cola, Alvin Cola, Naymon Cola, Roland Cola, and daughter Mary Dell Jones.
Shirley leaves to cherish her memory her loving husband of 51 years Alfred
Clark Jr., her three brothers and one sister: Lonnie Cola, Sampson Cola, Edward
Cola, and Rosetta Johnson; her daughters: Sharlene Washington, Terry Arviso,
Alfretta Clark, Chandra Winters, Donna Robinson, Lahallion Clark, and Pamela Clark;
her precious grandchildren: Antwan Jones, Daniel Arviso, Constance Jones, Keonna
(Kiki) Robinson, Amber Arviso, Francisco Arviso, Kyle Robinson, Ne’ira Smith,
Khamylle Clark-Hall; and special extended family including: Frederick and Linda
Randell family, and a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives, close
friends, and church family.
in Napoleonville, La. She was the youngest girl of her eight brothers and four sisters
and attended Bertrandville Louisiana High. Her and her family served as members of
Beulah Baptist Church.
She left home as a teenager and lived with her sister Ruby Hamilton in New
Orleans where she met and married Robert Plummer and had three beautiful
daughters. At the end of that union, in 1966 she took her daughters and made the trip
by train to California to live with her eldest sister Alma Hamilton. She and her sister
worked a short time at Red Star Industrial where they provided linen to nursing
homes. She then worked at a cafe where she met and married her soul mate Alfred
Clark Jr. in 1970. During the early years of their life together she worked at
Montgomery Ward up until the arrival of the youngest child Pamela Clark in 1974
after which she retired and poured her heart into raising and nurturing her family.
Shirley has always been very active in church since a young age and found a
home at Bible Fellowship where she sang in the choir and worked faithfully in the
kitchen. In 1979 they decided to move to Tracy where they bought a farm and raised
livestock and horses. They made a new home and church family at Good News
Missionary Baptist Church (formerly known as Rock West). She was involved in
many auxiliaries at church: deaconess and the missionary board. The couple
ventured into business together by opening the 1st barbecue restaurant in Tracy
called C&C Southern Barbecue. When she wasn’t blessing customers with her
catfish, peach cobbler, and potato salad at the restaurant, Shirley enjoyed camping,
riding horses with the valley Boys and Girls, and traveling with the Golden Agers
exploring new adventures.
Preceding her in death are her parents Thomas Sr. and Oreolia Cola, sisters
Alma Hamilton, Ruby Hamilton, Myrtle Hickerson and brothers Thomas Cola Jr.,
Lewis Cola, Alvin Cola, Naymon Cola, Roland Cola, and daughter Mary Dell Jones.
Shirley leaves to cherish her memory her loving husband of 51 years Alfred
Clark Jr., her three brothers and one sister: Lonnie Cola, Sampson Cola, Edward
Cola, and Rosetta Johnson; her daughters: Sharlene Washington, Terry Arviso,
Alfretta Clark, Chandra Winters, Donna Robinson, Lahallion Clark, and Pamela Clark;
her precious grandchildren: Antwan Jones, Daniel Arviso, Constance Jones, Keonna
(Kiki) Robinson, Amber Arviso, Francisco Arviso, Kyle Robinson, Ne’ira Smith,
Khamylle Clark-Hall; and special extended family including: Frederick and Linda
Randell family, and a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives, close
friends, and church family.