Obituaries

(Mary) Jeanne Fischer Clark, 76, died at her home near Eden Park in Cincinnati on January 20, 2026. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and spent her final months at home with her son, Peter Clark, by her side.

Born March 1, 1949, in Covington, Kentucky, Jeanne grew up in Bellevue and Fort Thomas. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in Park Hills in 1967 and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marquette University in 1971. While working as a Public Health Nurse in Lake County, Illinois, she met Frank Ring Clark. They married on November 26, 1971, and built a life together in Libertyville, Illinois, traveling extensively throughout Europe until Frank's death in an auto accident in 2006.

Jeanne loved two things above all: bringing people together and making sure everyone could get the healthcare they needed. There were countless poker and cribbage games at the lake house in Cambridge, Wisconsin and boat rides with cousins, kids, and whoever else happened to show up. She didn't fuss over details or worry if things were perfect. What mattered was that everyone felt welcome, that there was always room for one more at the table, and that people knew they belonged.

Jeanne believed deeply that healthcare was a right, not a privilege, a conviction that guided her entire career. She worked as a community health nurse and in a free clinic in Mundelein, and later held multiple leadership roles at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, including Director of the Intergenerational Day Center and Risk Manager, while earning Master's degrees in Healthcare Administration from Webster University and Bioethics the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Next, she served as Executive Director of HealthReach, leading a free clinic in Lake County, IL that provided care to more than 5,000 patients with the support of 45 volunteer physicians. She later worked with Cambridge Emergency Services in Wisconsin, continuing her commitment to service in one of her most beloved communities until September 2025.

In 2020, Jeanne returned to the Cincinnati area to be near her siblings and closer to her daughter and grandchildren. Her grandchildren, Jenny, Owen, and Jack, brought her immeasurable joy and were her greatest delight.

Among the many things that brought Jeanne joy were the color green in all its shades, Michigan peaches, and baking rhubarb and cherry pies, made possible by the cherries she picked each summer and froze so she always had some on hand. She was an enthusiastic traveler, visiting much of Europe, China, and Scandinavia, where she once met Mikhail Gorbachev.

Jeanne was preceded in death by her husband, Frank R. Clark; her parents, Tom and Virgie Fischer of Fort Thomas; and her brother, John C. Fischer of Dayton, Kentucky.

She is survived by her children, Ann Clark Dennerline of Carmel, Indiana, and Peter F. Clark of Chicago; her grandchildren, Jenny, Owen, and Jack Dennerline; her brothers, Tom (Karin) Fischer, Joe (Karen) Fischer, Patrick (Jane) Fischer, and Tim Fischer, all of the Cincinnati area; and many nieces, nephews, and friends who gathered around her tables and fires through the years.

Memorial Service and Mass are to take place at St. Xavier Church at 611 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, on February 13 with Visitation to begin at 9 am followed by Mass at 10 am.