Percilla Clark

Our beloved Percilla (Chappell) Clark, age 95, of Westside, Iowa, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2014.
Percilla was born on November 6, 1918 in Virden, New Mexico to her parents Heber P. and Sarah Anna. She was blessed and baptized on June 2, 1929 into the Morman Church. Percilla spent most of her early life in Grant and Hidalgo counties New Mexico on a farm and graduated high school with the class of 1936. After graduation she worked in Clifton, Arizona as a telephone operator. During World War II she worked in government offices in Silver City, New Mexico issuing ration stamps for items such as tires, gas, shoes, sugar and meat. On May 22, 1946 she was united in marriage to Chesley Chappell at the Methodist Church in Silver City, New Mexico. They were blessed with 3 children including a son, Howard Chesley and 2 daughters, Deborah K. and Linda F., making their home in Gila, New Mexico. In 1948 they suffered the loss of their son and then in 1954 Chesley was killed in a mine explosion at Santa Rita, New Mexico. On September 9, 1958 Percilla was joined in marriage to James A. Clark at the Presbyterian Church in Vail, Iowa. Along with her daughters, they lived on a farm in Boyer, Iowa until 1961 when they bought and moved to a farm just outside of Westside, Iowa. After Jim’s passing in 1992 she moved from the farm to her home in Westside.
Percilla was very involved in the community with many activities. She has been a member of the Helping Neighbors Club of Vail since 1958 as well as the Westside Legion Auxiliary, Senior Citizen 500 Club and Friendship Club. She also did volunteer work for the community schools. She enjoyed playing cards with Senior groups of Westside, Vail and Arcadia. Her hobbies were crocheting, working in her garden, growing beautiful flowers and going dancing. Mostly, she enjoyed being with her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and supporting them in all their activities. She also enjoyed traveling, especially with her family, including trips to Canada, the Bahamas, Alaska, Mexico and Hawaii. One of her biggest thrills was taking a hot air balloon ride in Indianola, Iowa at the age of 79.
Those who remain to cherish her memory are: her daughters Deborah (Jim) and Linda (Steve); her grandchildren Christine (Robert); Stephanie (Mark); Melissa (Bo); AJ (Sabetha) and Danielle (Nick); 9 great-grandchildren; her brothers Robert, Eddy (Lois Ann) and Delroy (Sharon); sisters-in-law: Marie and Helen; brothers-in-law: Don, Richard and Francis; many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her brother Ellis Dean, her son Howard , her husband, Chesley, her sister Christine, her parents,her brother Marshall and her husband, James.