Obituary of Rosemary E. Clarke

On Thursday, March 7, 2024, Dr. Rosemary Ellen Clarke passed away at age 80.  Rosemary was born on August 17, 1943, in Greenwich, Connecticut and lived in Stamford, Connecticut for part of her childhood.  After attending Wesley College in Dover, Delaware and Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA, she worked in civil rights teaching at Claflin University, the oldest historically Black college or university in South Carolina.  After, she married and then pursued her master’s degree in counseling at Boston University. In Boston, she worked for the Upward Bound program at Northeastern University helping students get into college, then she ran a women’s dormitory for Boston University.  After graduation in 1971, she moved to Elmira, NY, with her husband, Paul Pitkin, and eventually gave birth to her son, Scott Pitkin. Shortly thereafter she moved to Lansing, NY where she resided until 1992.  She opened her own private counseling practice in Ithaca, NY and also worked in the counseling clinic at Ithaca College.  She taught for Elmira College, and did extensive training and consulting for Elmira College faculty, Cornell University and for various corporations.  She pursued her doctorate during this period and attained her Ph.D. degree in 1985.  Her dissertation was on the role of loss in female development.

    

In 1989, she married Dr. Ric V. Solano and they practiced counseling together in Ithaca, NY until they moved to Albuquerque, NM in 1992 and opened The Relationship Co., counseling individuals, couples and children.  Together they wrote a book titled, “CoupleSkills: Grow Great Relationships.”  Rosemary also wrote articles for New Mexico Woman magazine, and authored many CareNotes, support booklets for various family issues.  In addition, she was on the faculty at Webster University for twenty-four years in the graduate counseling program, where her work endeared her to numerous students and colleagues.  She also taught for the College of Santa Fe and Lewis University in Albuquerque.  For many years, she designed workshops on self-help topics and offered them to the community.

 

Rosemary had a great interest in art and had her own studio at home where she worked in watercolor and acrylic paints and also incorporated collage into her work.  For years she would make her own original painted cards to send to friends and family for many occasions.  She took workshops in watercolor and acrylics over the years, adding to her knowledge base as there was always something new to learn. 

 

With her husband Ric she had the opportunity to travel extensively to many foreign countries where she would get inspiration for her art which was her passion.  She loved to photograph the places she visited and would use them as references for her paintings. 

 

Rosemary would want to be remembered as a good mom and wife, a caring person towards others, and full of fun and laughter.  She loved life and nature and the beauty of the world around her.  Her home was filled with treasures from her travels. 

 

In 2015, Rosemary was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine cancer.  She continued to see clients until September 30th, 2021, when she decided to retire having counseled for 50 years. 

 

Rosemary was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Ric Solano, and his son, Mike Solano, as well as her sister, Jeanne Godzeno, and brother, George Clarke, as well as her parents, George and Lois Clarke. 

 

She is survived by her son, Scott Pitkin, and his wife, Laura Foster, of Bloomington, Indiana, and two grandchildren, Garrett and Kyler Pitkin; by Luke Solano, her stepson, and two grandchildren, Nathan and Ruby Mae Solano, of San Diego, California;  and by Lore Solano and three grandchildren, Rachel, Steven, and Brandon Solano, of Chicago, Illinois.  She is also survived by her brother, Gordon Clarke, and his wife, Deb Clarke, of Englewood, Florida, and nephews Jeff Clarke and Rob Godzeno. 

 

No services are planned.  If you so desire, please give a donation to the New Mexico Cancer Center in her memory. You can donate or leave a memory at https://everloved.com/life-of/rosemary-clarke/

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