It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Maris Vale Clark (Gilson), born April 6, 1945, who died peacefully on May 5, 2026, just seventeen days after the passing of her beloved husband, Dennis Clark.

She was the dearly loved mother of Jenna Clark (Paul Giuliano) and Mandi Clark (Paul McInnis). She was the adored grandmother of Madeline Giuliano and Sofia Giuliano, who brought her great joy.

Vale was born in Toronto, and her family moved often during her childhood before eventually settling in Sutton, where she attended high school. It was there, at the age of sixteen, that she met Dennis Clark, the love of her life. They married on March 25, 1967, beginning a devoted partnership that lasted nearly sixty years. They were deeply attached to one another, and their lives were beautifully intertwined.

Vale was a primary school teacher with the York Region school board. She had a natural warmth with children and brought patience, energy, and kindness to her classroom.

A wonderfully social woman, Vale had many dear friends and loved being surrounded by people. She was famously chatty, always ready to tell a story or hear one, and had the gift of making ordinary moments lively and memorable. She was, in every sense, a born storyteller.

She loved gardening, her pets, fishing and RVing with Dennis, crafting, and baking. Her home and life were overflowing with conversation, creativity, animals, flowers, food and the people she loved. To know her was to be drawn into a conversation, a story, a memory, or a laugh.

A celebration of life will be held for both Vale and Dennis at Forrest Taylor Funeral Home in Sutton, Ontario at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026. A brief memorial will be held at 2:30 p.m. and burial of ashes will follow at Briar Hill Cemetery.

Donations in Vale’s memory may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, colon / rectal cancer research cancer.ca.  Expressions of condolences may be sent to plowclark5@gmail.com.