Gemologist, equestrian, profession lady, great-grandmother

Clara Berg Zink, age 87, died peacefully at her Claremont house within the early morning of November 27. Her ashes had been scattered at sea.

The primary little one of Japanese European immigrants Samuel and Sophie Naliboff, Clara was born in El Centro, California on March 16, 1935.  Her early life had been shared between the household house in El Centro and a working ranch in Julian. Through the sweltering summers on the Julian ranch, she and her beloved brother David would relaxation within the shade of an oak tree and browse the encyclopedia from A to Z. This undoubtedly shaped the inspiration of her lifelong love of studying and explains the superb depth and breadth of her information.

A stellar pupil and debate group champion, she graduated El Centro Excessive Faculty in 1953, then attended San Diego State School (now San Diego State College). Based mostly on her expertise and love of caring for livestock, her aim was to change into a big animal veterinarian. Nevertheless, typical of the inflexible gender roles of the Nineteen Fifties, she was informed that girls couldn’t change into veterinarians and was directed towards courses meant particularly for ladies. Throughout her first yr at San Diego State, she met and married Selwyn “Sel” Berg.

From San Diego, they moved to Seattle, Washington, then Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after which to Ithaca, New York, the place Selwyn accomplished his graduate research and PhD. Along with having three youngsters, she labored all through these years to assist her household financially. In 1963 the household returned to sunny Southern California and selected Claremont because the place to boost their youngsters due to the academically targeted surroundings and extremely rated public colleges. Their marriage led to divorce in 1979.

A talented seamstress, she grew to become supervisor and co-owner of Claremont’s Expres-Sew cloth retailer on Foothill Boulevard. She is remembered fondly as a affected person stitching teacher and was the primary employer for a lot of highschool college students and work-at-home mothers. She had a knack for adapting stitching patterns to customise garments and used this talent to assist breast most cancers survivors and different uniquely formed people create trendy clothes, swimwear, and lingerie they might put on with confidence.

All the time polished and poised, she was an professional in fashion {and professional} look. She taught girls to reinforce their pure magnificence with flattering colours and clothes types so they might current their finest skilled self. She was the ghost author of “The Magic of Shade and Line,” one of many first books devoted to enhancing private fashion. Her steering offered inspiration to girls as they entered the workforce and developed their careers.

Mockingly, as extra girls entered the workforce within the Sixties and ‘70s, fewer had time or curiosity in stitching clothes for his or her households. Subsequently, her cloth retailer, and others like hers, went out of enterprise. Adapting to the altering instances, she grew to become a profitable saleswoman at an area jewellery retailer. There she discovered every thing she might about jewellery and gems whereas on the job. In 1987, consistent with her drive for excellence, she enrolled within the gemologist certification program on the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica. Whereas nonetheless a pupil, GIA rapidly acknowledged her educational and educational abilities, and after incomes her certification, she was employed to hitch the educating employees. Thus started her profession of almost three many years as a gemologist and a key member of the GIA management employees and course improvement program. Whereas there, she shaped lengthy lasting friendships with colleagues and the worldwide gemology group.

She met her second husband Robert “Bob” Zink in an encounter group. In 1982 they married within the hayloft of a country barn in Claremont. When GIA moved its headquarters from Santa Monica to Carlsbad, she and Bob moved to Vista so she may very well be nearer to her work. They shared a love of animals and journey, and toured broadly, from Central America to Britain and broader Europe, in addition to to Africa and the Close to East. In addition they made frequent journeys to go to buddies and grandchildren.

They had been supporting members of the San Diego Wild Animal Park and cherished bringing friends to revel within the wildlife expertise. Not surprisingly, she inspired her husband to study to trip, and collectively, they’d many superb adventures on horseback. They had been married for over 30 years, till his passing in 2012.

Retiring from GIA on the exceptional of age 80, she returned to her hometown of Claremont, the place she lived from 2014 till her passing. She continued her love of studying in her retirement by auditing programs on the Claremont Faculties and locally. By no means forgetting her ardour for horses, she continued to hone her abilities as an equestrian by way of taking part in classes, path rides, and horse reveals. Regardless of issue strolling throughout her last years, she continued to trip, with the assistance of the expert employees at Leaps and Bounds, till simply two months earlier than her passing.

“Clara approached life’s many challenges with calmness and resolve,” her household shared. “She thought-about herself to be a fortunate particular person, efficiently searching for satisfying profession and way of life alternatives and inspired her household, buddies, and colleagues to do the identical.”

She was preceded in dying by her by her brother, Dr. David Naliboff, and her husband, Bob.

She is survived by her youngsters, Dr. Carrie Knoll (Paul) of Claremont; Sue Berg (Jack Lim) of Alameda, California; and Marc Berg (Julie) of St. Louis Park, Minnesota; stepdaughter Terry Stegman of Goodyear, Arizona; nephew and niece John and Lesley Naliboff; granddaughter Gabrielle Knoll; grandsons Nate Knoll, Chet Lim, Cyrus Lim, Charlie Berg, Benjamin Berg, and Cody Stegman; two great-nephews; and three great-grandchildren.

“A multitalented profession lady and trailblazer, Clara was an inspiration to all who knew her,” her household stated. “Could her reminiscence be a blessing.”

A celebration of life might be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, February 19 on the Temple Beth Israel Social Corridor, 3033 N. Towne Avenue, Pomona, CA . Please RSVP through electronic mail to [email protected].

Remembrances could also be expressed at obituaries.neptunesociety.com, by typing “Clara Zink” into “Search Obituaries.”

In lieu of flowers, donations in her identify could also be made to Associates of Leaps and Bounds at leapsandboundspediatrictherapy.org/friends-leaps, or the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance at  sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org.