Route 66 cookbook author Marian Clark in hospice care

UPDATE2: Marian Clark died Thursday morning. An obituary will be posted later when the arrangements information is available.

The original post from Wednesday:

Marian Clark, an Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame member who found and compiled recipes from many restaurants along the Mother Road into several books, is dying of cancer and has been placed in hospice care.

Rebecca Barnes, Clark’s daughter, wrote in a post Wednesday on her mother’s Facebook account:

I wanted to pass on that Mom’s battle with cancer in nearing the end. She has been so strong recovering from her stroke last year and then getting hit with an EHE cancer diagnosis last January. Her chemo treatments had stabilized her tumors until recently when the disease became too aggressive to fight any longer. She is under hospice care now and surrounded by family and friends. Our deepest thanks to all that have sent such touching cards, flowers and messages. They have brought a smile to her face and made this transition easier feeling the love. She is old school and has been reticent to post her condition on FB but I know there are some that we haven’t been able to reach the traditional way so I’m posting here with her permission.
Love, Rebecca (Marian’s daughter)

The Texas native who’s lived in Tulsa for decades parlayed her home-economics background into a cookbook-publishing career starting in 1988 with “The Southwestern Heritage Cookbook.” She became best known for her series of Route 66-related cookbooks, including “The Main Street of America Cookbook,” two editions of “The Route 66 Cookbook” and “Hogs on 66,” the latter co-written by best-selling author Michael Wallis.

In her own way, Clark was a preservationist — she persuaded Route 66 restaurant owners to give up a recipe or two for her books. Some of those restaurants eventually went out of business, but their food lives on with the recipes and the memories of those who enjoyed those places.

Clark’s Route 66 Roadfood website also contained listings of where Route 66 travelers could get good “roadfood,” a page for well-known but defunct restaurants, new Route 66 restaurants and even a handful of recipes.

Clark showed up on several television shows, including the Food Channel, and many Route 66 festivals over the years. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2014.

UPDATE: Clark’s daughter says if anyone wants to mail cards, they can be addressed to 3019 S Madison Ave., Tulsa, OK 74114.

(Image of Marian Clark via Facebook)

7 thoughts on “Route 66 cookbook author Marian Clark in hospice care

  1. Please share with Marian we have her cook book and enjoy many of the recipes. She will forever be in our memories as we cook up these wonderful different recipes. Curtis & Tricia of Oregon

  2. I am so very sorry to read this news. Marian and her husband Ken , have been good friends since 2006 when they shared their home with me and my friend Ron. Again in 2012 they shared their homes in Tulsa and Cuchara, Colorado, when I brought my grandson, Cain, from our homes here in England for a 2 week holiday. We have kept in touch all these years, sharing our love of Route 66 and general aviation.

  3. This lady will always be a part of Route 66. So many fond memories of her and Ken. True ICONS on the road. Always had time to talk or listen to what you had to share. You left your mark on the road and its people.

  4. I am so heartbroken and thought that once Marian got through the struggle after the stroke she would be fine. Unfortunately that was not to be. I will miss my sweet and lovely friend.

  5. So sad to hear this-She has been a dear friend since we opened the Devil’s Rope/Route 66 Museum in McLean, Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Delbert & Ruth Trew

    1. Really sad news. Such a lovely lady. We here in England will miss her warm smile and gracious nature. Rest in Peace, Marian.

  6. Marian was one of the first people o remember meeting roughly 30 years ago in the early days of this Route 66 Renaissance. I had great fun helping her with a recipe for Springfield-style cashew chicken for one of her cookbooks, and I always looked forward to seeing her at festivals and events. Her and Ken’s kindness was experienced by many. Her death is heartbreaking news. She will be greatly missed. I would like to think she is now at a roadie gathering extraordinaire with Carl Johnson, Lucille Hammond, Skip Curtis, and all the other roadie icons who have passed. RIP Marian, and deepest sympathies to your family.

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