Patsy Clarke
Patsy M. Clarke, of Raleigh, N.C., born on January 30, 1929, in Miami, Florida, and raised in Adams, Massachusetts and Asheville, NC, passed away on December 9, 2024, in Raleigh. She attended Lee Edwards High School, where as a teenager, she discovered her love of drama, a passion that lasted throughout her life, and entertained many audiences at the Asheville Community Theatre, and later at the Raleigh Little Theatre. Into her 80s and 90s, and in collaboration with others, she wrote and produced “Last Stop, Old” (2012), “Bingo” (2020 via zoom!), and MoonGlo (2023).
Returning to college at age 40, Patsy graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 1973 with a degree in Drama and Literature. She served as an instructor at her alma mater for a decade, teaching acting and speech. In 1987, Patsy began teaching speaking and advocacy skills to law students at California Western School of Law in San Diego, and later at Gonzaga University Law School in Spokane, WA, and to a generation of trial lawyers at the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, GA and the Western Trial Advocacy Institute in Wyoming.
Following the death of her youngest son from AIDS, along with Eloise Vaughn of Raleigh, Patsy co-founded Mothers Against Jesse in Congress (MAJIC) and advocated for gay rights as human rights. The Journal of Southern History in 2017 stated: “Through moral suasion, MAJIC’s activist framed motherhood as the ethical center of the family, and thus society, in order to rehabilitate the image of homosexuals as immoral interlopers and AIDS patients as lepers, while widening the boundaries of American society for their full inclusion.” She co-authored "Keep Singing: Two Mothers, Two Sons, and Their Fight Against Jesse Helms," detailing her activism and personal journey.
Patsy is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Diana Clarke of Raleigh, NC; her daughter and son-in-law, Judy Clarke and Speedy Rice of San Diego; three grandchildren, Megan (and Paul) Mobley of Raleigh, Erin (and Jon) Lesica of Rowayton, Connecticut, and Alan Clarke of NYC. She leaves behind five lively great-grandchildren. Her husband, Harry Clarke, oldest daughter Candy and youngest son, Mark predeceased her.
She was an avid reader, and with a close group of friends pursued the study of all things metaphysical. Throughout her life, Patsy Clarke remained dedicated to the arts, education, and social activism, leaving a lasting impact on her community and beyond. A celebration of her life is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 11:30 am at the North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Raleigh Little Theatre, https://raleighlittletheatre.org/donate/.