Constance E. C. Spear, 89
N. Palm Beach, Florida – Connie 'Elizabeth' Clark Spear, of North Palm Beach, FL and previously of Easton and Oxford, MD passed on 6/22/24. She was raised in Southwest Harbor, Maine. The daughter of Reginald and Dorothy Ballard Clark.
Elizabeth was the 2nd of 9 children and learned to be an expert seamstress in her youth. She graduated from Pemetic High School, in Bar Harbor, ME in 1953. Shortly thereafter she went on to become a Capital Airlines flight attendant, and a Registered Nurse. She met the love of her life, James (Jimmy) Bennett Spear, Sr. of Vienna, MD and they married in 1958. They were married until Jim's passing in 2009. She is survived by her 3 children: Lori Higgins (Mark) of Easton, MD; Deanna Garner (Gene, deceased 2020) of Wilmington NC; James B. Spear Jr. (Jini) of Easton, MD. Her 6 grandchildren: James P. Higgins (Riley); Casey M. Higgins (Kelly); Clark D. Higgins of Easton, MD; Dana M. E. Garner of Bozeman, Montana and J. Bennett Spear III and Justin Becker Spear, and their mother Nawara OMary of Vienna, VA. Her 4 great grandchildren: Hank Higgins; Abby Higgins; Bo Higgins and Anna Higgins all of Easton, MD.
As they were raising their children, Elizabeth went on to earn her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1976 and then her master's degree in clinical psychology in 1981 from Washington College. Her career encompassed working at the Easton Memorial Hospital; teaching at the Macqueen Gibbs Willis School of Nursing; and being a therapist at 'For All Seasons Inc' Crisis Center. She held a mental health private practice and also followed and facilitated the teachings of the 'Flower of Life' sacred geometry for many years. She was a very spiritual person and loved God.
Elizabeth was very involved with her children's interests including the Tuckahoe Pony Club, the Girl Scouts and teaching swimming lessons. She loved her family and loved to read. She loved to watch and play tennis and had a passion for horses, raising golden retrievers, music, the arts and astrology. As one of the very first people to practice Yoga in the area, she volunteered to teach it at the local Easton YMCA twice a week for over 45 years. She and Jim owned several boats throughout their years and travelled the waters 'by the stars' without the use of a GPS. They also owned several private planes they used to travel in as Jim was a retired naval aviator pilot and had proudly served as a Captain in the US Marine Corp. They had been members of the Tred Avon Yacht Club, and the Caroline and Talbot County Country Clubs for many years. Some of the places Elizabeth had the joy of visiting that were her favorites included Indonesia, Peru, and Australia, but also Greece to find caves where Jesus may have lived. She went to France to find meanings in the stained glass of the historic churches there, and the Andes Mountains where she lived with an indigenous family for several days. She travelled to the Bimini Islands dozens of times to swim with wild dolphins. Her motto was to stay positive, "don't worry, be happy" and try not to complain.
Everyone loved her.
Elizabeth is also survived by her sister, Karen C. Young (John); and brothers Keith Clark (Nancy) and Kirk Clark of Southwest Harbor, ME and brother Mark (Laura) Clark of Fort Wayne, IN. In addition to her husband, she is preceded in death by her parents, and her siblings Richard (Grace); Dean (Faith) and Hal Clark and sister Janet Cropley (Ron) as well as her son-in-law Gene Garner. Elizabeth had a very special circle of friends in Florida which the family would like to acknowledge and thank for their friendship, support and kindness: Maggie, Gloria, Irene, Helaine, Estelle, Kathi, Rosemary, Frances, Adele, Mike, Andrew, Pam, and Nina among others.
Her ashes will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia beside her husband's remains in the spring of 2025 where there will be a memorial service. For those who wish to honor Elizabeth's memory, she cared about all charitable organizations.