Nesta Carolyn McCorkle Clark, better known as Carolyn Clark, was born on September 12, 1941 in Clewiston, Florida. Carolyn passed away on August 6, 2026 after a short illness.

Carolyn was the daughter of Stanley A. McCorkle of New Smyrna Beach, Florida and Viola Laird McCorkle of DeFuniak Springs, Florida. She has two surviving siblings, Rene New of Merritt Island, Florida and Philip McCorkle of Nokomis, Florida.

Shortly after Carolyn was born her father Stanley was commissioned an officer in the US Army and the family followed him all over the United States and world and were in Korea in 1947 even before the Korean War. The family also followed Stanley to serve in Germany.

Carolyn graduated from Carthage High School in Carthage, New York, nearby Ft. Drum Army Post where her father Stanley was in charge. Carolyn attended and graduated from The State of New York University System located in Potsdam, New York. At Potsdam, Carolyn was a member of the famous Crane School of Music Choir and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music. While teaching at Eau Gallie High School Carolyn not only was a Choir Director but she became a Counselor and earned a Masters Degree in Counseling from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

Carolyn’s first job teaching music was at Yates Elementary School in Rochester, New York, then Carolyn moved to Florida in 1968.

Carolyn was a long-time Chorus teacher at many Florida schools, mostly at Southwest Junior High School at Palm Bay Florida, Eau Gallie High School in Eau Gallie, Florida. After she retired she taught at DeLand High School, in DeLand, Florida and Astronaut High School in Titusville, Florida.

Carolyn’s longest tenure was Eau Gallie High School where she taught from 1971 until retirement in 1996. At Eau Gallie High her choruses set a standard for superior and excellent performance. Her special choral groups were sought after and performed at many events. Her special group, “The Starboard Side” was selected to perform for Florida Governor Bob Graham’s 1979 Inauguration, made several trips to participate in special performances at Carnegie Hall in New York, and also performed in Nassau, Bahamas. The Eau Gallie Chorus appeared in the Mass Chorus at the opening of Disney World in 1971. For almost every year Carolyn taught at Eau Gallie High School her choruses appeared in Walt Disney’s Annual Christmas “Candell-light Parade.”

Carolyn met her to be husband, William A. Clark of Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1973 at the Florida Summer Music Camp for Junior and Senior high students. The Clarks later operated the camps for 18 years at Webber College, Babson Park, Florida, then at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, and finally at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. The camps offered students instruction in Band, Flute, and Piano and a camp experience.

Carolyn and Bill have established three Endowed Scholarships for needy choral and instrumental students at Potsdam University in New York, The University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

Carolyn was a member of the Florida Music Educators Association and a Life Member of the Florida Vocal Association. She served many years as The District Chairman of the organization and for many years officiated the State Music Performance Assessment concerts.

After Carolyn retired, the Clarks moved to New Smyrna Beach to take care of her ill mother. While in New Smyrna Beach Carolyn became Choir Director of the New Smyrna Beach First Presbyterian Church. In addition to regular choir music the Choir performed several special Anthems and yearly Christmas and Easter Cantates.

The Clarks moved in 2018 to Merritt Island, Florida to be near her Sister Rene New and family who had recently moved from Somers, New York and have attended the Grace United Methodist Church in Merritt Island.

Carolyn and her husband Bill have been married for 41 years and during that time have sailed on cruise ships some 40 times. They have cruised a lot of the world including Scandinavian Countries, Europe, Russia, and Australia.

Carolyn has spent her free time knitting hundreds of sweaters for underprivileged children and presented them to be delivered to the children by Grace United Methodist Church in Merritt Island, Florida, 2nd Harvest Food Bank in Melbourne, Florida and the Appalachian Area of Hendersonville, North Carolina.

A Memorial Service will be held for Carolyn at the Grace United Methodist Church, 65 Needle Blvd., Merritt Island, Florida 32953 at 11 O’clock AM on Saturday, August 29, 2026.