Kay Joan Clark
June 24, 1931-September 29, 2026
Kay Joan (Tharp) Clark, 95, of Chesterfield passed away on September 29, 2026, at Community Hospital in Anderson following a very brief illness.
She was born on June 24, 1931, in Los Angeles, California to the late Elmer Dewey and Charlotte (Hanson) Tharp. She graduated from Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, CA. She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education from Ball State Teacher’s College.
She taught English at Anderson High School for 23 years and retired in 1988. She was the girls’ golf coach at Anderson High School during the 1970’s. She taught English at Anderson University in the Adult Education Program for 15 years. She was a columnist for the Chesterfield Weekly paper known as “Kay’s Korner.”
She was a member of Chesterfield Christian Church where she was the organist since 1957. She was the organist at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Service for 10 years. She was a member of the Victoria Guild and the Chesterfield Optimist Club. She judged the essays for the Chesterfield Optimist scholarships. She enjoyed freelance writing and blogging and was a member of the American Writer’s Academy. She loved being a pastor’s wife and pastor’s mother. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.
She is survived by her four children, Marty Shepherd of Arkansas, Rick (Jan) Clark of California, Christy (Jay) Lenox of Illinois, and Ned (Sheri) Clark of Chesterfield; a sister, Dana Lou Thompson of Washington; 12 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild on the way; several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded by her parents; her husband, Rev. Harold “Pete” Clark; a brother, Ned Tharp; a great-grandson, Nathan Shepherd; and a son-in-law, Larry Shepherd.
Funeral service will be at 11:00am on Friday, October 23, 2026, at Chesterfield Christian Church in Chesterfield with her children, Ned Clark and Marty Shepherd officiating. Burial will follow at East Maplewood Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4:00pm-8:00pm on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Service and from 10:00am-11:00am on Friday, October 23, 2026, at the church.
Memorial contributions may be given to Chesterfield Christian Church.
Post online condolences at www.rozelle-johnson.com.