Obituary of Dorothy Jean Clark

Dorothy Jean (Bartlett) Clark left us peacefully on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, just two weeks after celebrating her 95th birthday with her friends and family.  Dorothy was born August 13, 1929 in Houston at the first Methodist Hospital on San Jacinto street.  Her parents moved back to Troy, Texas during the depression years and later returned to Houston’s East Side where she graduated from Stephen F. Austin High.  She then went on to attend The Rice Institute to study biology, at a time when few women were admitted to Rice.  She was very proud of her time at Rice and considered herself a lifelong Owl.  

Dorothy went on to a full and successful career as a microbiologist at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center, conducting research and co-authoring several scientific papers. In 1963, she married Tom Clark, and the couple lived in West University for 23 years.  Following their divorce, Dorothy shared the next 40 years of her life with her companion and “sister”, Dawn Kinsler.  With similar backgrounds and interests, Dawn and Dorothy traveled the world together, embarking on adventures too numerous to count.   

After Dorothy’s retirement from Baylor in 1995, she and Dawn hit the roads, seas, and air – traveling everywhere that they could tolerate the cuisine.  During her retirement, Dorothy was involved and supported Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church outreach ministries, especially those focused on serving our city’s homeless.  She frequently traveled Houston streets providing clothing and necessities to those in need.

After Dawn’s death in 2016, Dorothy continued to travel and enjoy her other favorite recreational activity – shopping – with her closest friends, Judy, Sue and Virginia.  A petite firecracker with a sharp wit and standing just five feet tall, her love of fashion meant that she was always elegantly dressed. 

Through Dawn, Dorothy met the Tom Earthman family, who would, from that point forward, adopt her as their beloved Aunt Dorothy.    Dorothy watched her adopted family grow, always attending sporting and special events.  She especially enjoyed watching her great nephews’ football games and great nieces play volleyball, and laughed that she could barely touch the bottom of the net.

Dorothy was an avid reader and lifelong learner.  Always ready to tackle what was in front of her, she was a pragmatist, flexible and forward thinking.  She cared for Dawn though her long struggle with Alzheimer’s, and served as an inspiring example of unconditional love and care giving.   While Dorothy’s biological family was very small, she had an expansive extended family.  She will be missed and her memory cherished by all who knew her.  Dorothy truly exemplified a life well lived.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at Joseph J. Earthman Generations, 234 Westcott Street in Houston, Texas.