Clara W. Crocker
OBITUARY
Clara W. Crocker passed away in her sleep on July 10th, just shy of her 92nd birthday.
Clara was born in San Diego, the daughter of Charles Hardy Wellington and Mildred Frances Martin who owned and operated the Triangle Meat Company in downtown. She was a great-granddaughter of Charles S. Hardy, a prominent businessman, ranch manager, and Republican Party “boss” in San Diego in the early 1900s. She was also the great-granddaughter of Charles Richards Wellington, who emigrated from England to Julian, California, and built the Julian Hotel.
In 1943, Clara’s family moved from downtown to National City, where she lived in what is now known as the Collins-Wellington Estate, and attended Sweetwater High School. She graduated from Mills College in Oakland in 1956 and then returned to San Diego to teach history and government at Lincoln High School, where she met Harry W. Crocker, Jr., whom she married in 1960. They raised four children in University City, moving to Del Mar in 1981. Harry passed away in 2011.
Clara loved animals and enjoyed art, history, reading, crossword puzzles, stamp collecting, cooking, and her weekly glass of Glenlivet. She was also a beloved and devoted mother and grandmother, hosting weekly family gatherings at her home. She is survived by sons Harry and Brandon, and daughters Leslie and Brooke, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.