->FARMINGDALE -- Bonnie Marie Clark, 72, died Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008, after a long illness. At the time of her death, she was at home. Her husband, John, and her daughter, Ann, were by her side. She was born Jan. 25, 1936, the daughter of Carolyn and Hugh Bird. She grew up in New York City and Tybee, Ga., and was educated in New York and Georgia. In 1953, she met John A. Clark Jr. when he was an Air Force airman stationed in Savannah, Ga. They married on June 12, 1953, at Our Lady of the Airwaves Chapel at Hunter Air Force Base, Savannah, Ga. Soon afterward, they moved to his home state of Maine, where she found out his nickname was "Beano," a name that stuck.A young, charismatic, beautiful woman with a Southern accent, she made an impression on everyone she met. As a young wife, she was anxious to start a family. When they were married a couple of months, she went to the doctor's, worried because she was not yet pregnant. Within a year they had their first child. Seven more soon followed.While John worked at the Kennebec Journal, and always more odd jobs to feed the family of 10, Bonnie was a homemaker, fully engaged in bringing up children who were honest, hard workers with morals. Their home was always full of children and their friends. Supper was eaten every night at a long table with benches; there were too many for chairs. Bonnie made their house a home where everyone flocked. It was a fun, welcoming place.She was an accomplished artist and craftsperson. She painted portraits of her children and her grandchildren. In her workshop, she made stained-glass lamps for her children. She sewed quilts. All of her children's homes have Christmas decorations made by her.By the time grandchildren began to number a dozen or more, John and Bonnie enjoyed trips to the Lobster Buoy campground in Rockland. It was at the Lobster Buoy they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2003, surrounded by their many children and grandchildren. As a singer strummed the guitar and sang "A Daisy a Day," John and Bonnie danced together. After 50 years, it was still a love match.Bonnie often took stock of the large family she and Beano made and said, "I am blessed."In the fall of 2006, she suffered a stroke. Their lives slowed. With help from their children and grandchildren, John took care of Bonnie until the morning she died.She survived by her husband, of Farmingdale; five sons and their families, John A. Clark III, of Farmingdale, Richard Clark, of Farmingdale, Joseph Clark, of Odessa, Texas, Charles Clark, of Manchester, and Edmund Clark, of Augusta; and three daughters, Bonnie Washuk-Zaccaro, of Portland, Carolyn Gray, of Farmingdale, and Ann Vashon, of Augusta. Survivors also include her brother, Richard Bird, of New York City; two sisters, Carolyn Blanchard, of Argentina, and Barbara Blanchard, of Denver, Colo.; 28 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.A celebration of her life and the many lives she touched will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta. Condolences to the family may be expressed via the funeral home Website at www.plum merfh.com.