Michelena R. (Bianco) Clark

Michelena Rose (Bianco) Clark, 92, of Peekskill, New York and formerly of White Plains, New York, passed away March 17, 2023 after a four year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Michelena (often called by her nickname, “Mickey,”) was born on July 22nd, 1930 to Mary and August Bianco in Pittston, Pennsylvania. She married Bobby Gordon Clark (deceased) on January 21st,1951 in a church ceremony at Mount Carmel Church in White Plains, New York. The newlyweds honeymooned in Niagara Falls. Michelena and Bobby were married for 66 years. The couple shared a passion for tennis and skiing and often enjoyed doing these activities together. Michelena also cherished the road trips she was able to take with Bobby to places such as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York. Mickey and Bobby loved to admire the foliage of these places during the fall and ski the various mountains in the wintertime.

Michelena’s three favorite hobbies were dancing, bingo and playing the slot machines. When the band or DJ would play fast music at any special occasion, Mickey was notorious for grabbing her sister Mary (often called by her nickname Mema), or any other family member to dance the night away on the dance floor! The pair of sisters were often known as, “Salt and Pepper,” which referred to Michelena’s white hair and Mema’s black hair. Mickey also loved a good game of bingo and would often recruit any willing party to accompany her on the 3 hour bus ride to Atlantic City! There were even a few rare occasions where Michelena was able to convince her husband Bobby to go to Atlantic City for the weekend!

Michelena had an unshakeable devotion to her relationship with God. In fact, she often attended church multiple times during the week as well as on Sundays. Church was the place she felt most connected to God. Additionally, Michelena also had an admirable dedication to helping others achieve sobriety in the Alcoholics Anonymous Program.

Michelena was the daughter of Mary and August Bianco. She was one of 9 and is survived by her sister Mary (Mema) and brothers Joe, Ernie, and Tony, and pre-deceased by her sister Margaret and brothers Nicky, Johnny, and August. Besides her siblings, Michelena will be deeply missed by her three remaining daughters, Karen Frasene, Mary Aquilino, Teresa Perez; five sons: Michael, James, Robert, John, David; as well as her 18 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.

The Wake service will be held at Hawthorne Funeral Home, 21 West Stevens Avenue, Hawthorne, NY, Wednesday, March 22nd, from 4 PM – 8 PM. The funeral service will be on Thursday, March 23rd, at 11 AM at Faith Bible Church, 3500 Mohegan Avenue, Mohegan Lake, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association .