Janet Clark

Janet Lucille (Gittings) Clark, 92, passed away on Thursday, January 18, at her home in the Cumberland Crossings Retirement Community in Carlisle, where she had lived for the past 17 years.

Born Dec. 4, 1931, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Philip Sidney Gittings and Bertha Lois (Hurst) Gittings. She graduated from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, with a major in piano. She married Crea Miller Clark in Millvale, Pennsylvania, in 1954, after they both graduated from Westminster. They enjoyed 69 years of wedded bliss. 

 As a dedicated partner in ministry with her husband, Janet shared her musical talents in the churches and communities she and her husband served. She was organist, choir director, and director of children’s and educational ministries as well as teaching piano lessons for more than 50 years, inspiring students with her expression and technique. Janet was an amazing piano soloist and accompanist. She provided musical programs for many organizations, family occasions, and small groups. Her ability to plan and implement programs served the American Association of University Women and PEO women’s organizations for which she was president several times and member throughout the years.

 Janet’s love for God and the Gospel guided every part of her life. Deeply loyal, she was a loving and compassionate wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She loved music, dramatic arts, caring for her home, gardening, and being with her family. She especially loved celebrating Christmas with elaborate re-creations of winter village scenes around her tree. She collected figurines of buildings for her winter scenes.

 Janet loved creating productions, creating and serving as founder and Dean of the Cumberland Crossings College of the Arts. She wrote, produced, and directed programs and plays for every season, for every age, with choirs, handbells, ukuleles, and original scripts for programs with themes of home, family, forgiveness, inclusion, and redemption. And humor, always humor.

She is survived by daughters Lois (Larry) Ramey in Dayton, Ohio; Janet (Wiley) Bucey in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania; and Carol (Stephen) Pardridge in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and son Jonathan (Lynn) Clark in Golden, Colorado; grandchildren Amanda Ramey in Urbana, Illinois; Clark (Lauren) Ramey in Johnson City, Tennessee; Major Jonathan (Bethany) Bucey in Bury St. Edmunds, England; Sally (Abdul-Aziz Ali) Bucey in Ithaca, New York; James Bucey (David Hughes) in Gallatin, Tennessee; Joshua (Evan Baach) Pardridge in Washington, D.C.; Jonathan Clark in Golden, Colorado; and Allison Clark in Fort Collins, Colorado; and great-grandchildren Jensen Ramey, Margaret Wiley Bucey and Eloise Bucey; and numerous Clark and Gittings nephews, nieces and in-laws. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Crea, her brothers Philip, and James; and sisters Lois and Ruth.

Relatives and friends are invited to a viewing from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at Second Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, and internment will be at 3:00 PM on Thursday, January 25 at the Meeting House Springs Cemetery, 1000 Waggoners Gap Road, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A service to celebrate Janet’s life will be announced at a later date.