Virginia A. Clarke
(1948-2014)
Virginia A. Clarke, an Oregon Ohio resident who was one of Toledo’s award-winning graphic designers and sculptors, passed away peacefully on Monday at the Hospice of Northwest Ohio, after a protracted battle with breast cancer, having spent her final days surrounded by those closest to her. She was 65.
“She always had elegant solutions to projects and was a great perfectionist,” said her long-time partner and companion Mark Packo. “She battled her disease with similar elegance.”
Ms. Clarke was born September 5, 1948 in Spring Lake, New Jersey to the late John and Bernice (Nordmeyer) Clarke. Her father had owned a glass factory in Brooklyn during the 1940s when he was recruited by Owens-Illinois, leading to the family’s relocation to Toledo in 1950. Virginia, an only child, attended both Ladyfield Elementary and St. Ursula Academy, where she graduated in 1966. She then completed an English major at Marymount College, in Tarrytown New York, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1970.
Clarke returned to Toledo to establish Virginia Clarke Design in 1971. Within a few years, she expanded into Design at Work, Inc. operating in Toledo’s Warehouse District where she actively supported the development of this historic area for many years. The firm was located in a mid-19th century building on Toledo’s waterfront, the former Buckeye Tobacco Factory. The firm’s niche was advertising, corporate publications, and signage & way finding systems. Some of her clients included Owens-Corning, the Toledo Museum of Art, the Toledo Public Library, Toledo Public Schools, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the City of Lima.
Clarke was also a renowned sculptor, having been awarded a fellowship to study sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1974. Installations of her large steel sculptures are on display throughout northwest Ohio.
Clarke coordinated the complex graphic elements and design for the annual meetings of the American Society of Retina Specialists and was awarded the Crystal Paragon Award in Vancouver by Meetings Planners International for the number one meeting held internationally in 1992, beating out such other corporate events such as Microsoft and the Hilton Hotels chain.
“Whether she was creating a sculpture, cooking, gardening . . . all of which were her passions, she did them to perfection,” said Mark Packo. “She always strived for beauty and perfection in her life.”
Surviving are companion Mark Packo. Virginia’s life will be celebrated with a Mass of Resurection on Saturday, January 18, at Gesu Catholic Church in Toledo, Ohio at 10 am. Family will receive visitors an hour before the mass at the church. Burial will be private at St. Ignatius Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society or the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Online condolences may be left for Virginia’s family and friends at www.freckchapel.com.
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(1948-2014)
Virginia A. Clarke, an Oregon Ohio resident who was one of Toledo’s award-winning graphic designers and sculptors, passed away peacefully on Monday at the Hospice of Northwest Ohio, after a protracted battle with breast cancer, having spent her final days surrounded by those closest to her. She was 65.
“She always had elegant solutions to projects and was a great perfectionist,” said her long-time partner and companion Mark Packo. “She battled her disease with similar elegance.”
Ms. Clarke was born September 5, 1948 in Spring Lake, New Jersey to the late John and Bernice (Nordmeyer) Clarke. Her father had owned a glass factory in Brooklyn during the 1940s when he was recruited by Owens-Illinois, leading to the family’s relocation to Toledo in 1950. Virginia, an only child, attended both Ladyfield Elementary and St. Ursula Academy, where she graduated in 1966. She then completed an English major at Marymount College, in Tarrytown New York, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1970.
Clarke returned to Toledo to establish Virginia Clarke Design in 1971. Within a few years, she expanded into Design at Work, Inc. operating in Toledo’s Warehouse District where she actively supported the development of this historic area for many years. The firm was located in a mid-19th century building on Toledo’s waterfront, the former Buckeye Tobacco Factory. The firm’s niche was advertising, corporate publications, and signage & way finding systems. Some of her clients included Owens-Corning, the Toledo Museum of Art, the Toledo Public Library, Toledo Public Schools, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the City of Lima.
Clarke was also a renowned sculptor, having been awarded a fellowship to study sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1974. Installations of her large steel sculptures are on display throughout northwest Ohio.
Clarke coordinated the complex graphic elements and design for the annual meetings of the American Society of Retina Specialists and was awarded the Crystal Paragon Award in Vancouver by Meetings Planners International for the number one meeting held internationally in 1992, beating out such other corporate events such as Microsoft and the Hilton Hotels chain.
“Whether she was creating a sculpture, cooking, gardening . . . all of which were her passions, she did them to perfection,” said Mark Packo. “She always strived for beauty and perfection in her life.”
Surviving are companion Mark Packo. Virginia’s life will be celebrated with a Mass of Resurection on Saturday, January 18, at Gesu Catholic Church in Toledo, Ohio at 10 am. Family will receive visitors an hour before the mass at the church. Burial will be private at St. Ignatius Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society or the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Online condolences may be left for Virginia’s family and friends at www.freckchapel.com.