Rita Nathalia Clark

Rita Nathalia Clark, 89, born on December 1, 1929, in Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago, passed away March 17, 2019. She resided in Covina, California at the time of her passing. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Covina Hills, California.She was the third born child of Robert and Malina Suarez, owners of a rather large farming operation in Trinidad. She was very close to her father and had considered a religious life at one point. But she met a handsome US Navy man stationed in Trinidad during WWII and, with her father's blessing, decided to marry that man in the late1940s. His name was Rowland Clarence Clark and she was probably the only person who was allowed to call him Rowland. Together, they had five children: Charles, Edward, Barbara, Jerry and Ted.
As an avid cook and baker, Rita would make a feast that would rival even that of a professional chef's. Moreover, she was known to often make astoundingly moist bread, including an especially memorable coconut-sesame Caribbean loaf. Using Rita's culinary skills and her husband's charisma, the young couple set up a plant to produce and distribute pastelles to customers in Trinidad. Pastelles, a local favorite made with cornmeal and filled with meat, are generally only made at Christmas time, but Rita saw a year round market for them. As time passed, Clarence introduced potato chips, popcorn and cotton candy to Trinidad. He imported the necessary equipment and then showed the workers how to make potato chips, popcorn and cotton candy. Rita ran the plant and did the books while Clarence covered the sales and distribution.
By the mid 1960's, Trinidad was no longer a British colony and had become its own independent nation. Things were not looking well for the Clarks. So Rita and Clarence packed up the kids and moved to the United States settling in West Covina, California. Clarence continued with sales; first with real estate, then into the roofing business while Rita ran a licensed day care center in the home. In her spare time, she found a passion for gardening. She discovered that her green thumb allowed her to grow anything from Southern California's citrus and avocados to exotic tropical trees and plants.
Then tragedy struck. Clarence died suddenly in 1976 at the age of 57.Rita, now a widow at the young age of 46, had two adolescent sons at home to raise and support. She needed to get a driver's license and a car; and she did! She initially took over the roofing business, and then she obtained her real estate license and sold real estate until her retirement in 1991.
Throughout life, Rita was a strong religious woman. She had a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary and was a member of the Legion of Mary. Even during her last 24 years of life, as Rita began to suffer from Alzheimer's disease, she fought on. She remained in her own home until 2011, when she came to live with her daughter due to the rapid progression of the disease that had exacerbated her condition. Her strong religious spirit continued fighting even as her condition worsened yet again and she was in and out of hospice. Finally moving to the Rowland Convalescent Hospital in 2014, where she resided until her passing on St Patrick's Day 2019.