Obituary of Clarice Blake Douoguih

Clarice Blake Douoguih

Clarice Blake Douoguih (née Shedd), a retired teacher, died due to complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on September 1, 2017, at home.  She was 74 and lived in Reston, Virginia.  

Clarice was energetic and passionate about life. She had a broad range of talents and interests including gardening, cooking, solving mechanical problems, music, foreign languages, geography and the study of African culture, to name a few. Her adventurous spirit lead her far and wide, from the farmland of upstate New York where she spent her childhood summers to a 200 mile walk along the ancient pilgrimage, Camino de Santiago in 2014. She was committed to social justice, loved plants and nature and was devoted to her friends and family.

Clarice was born on August 15, 1943 to Catharine and John Shedd and grew up in Leonia, NJ. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1965 and earned Master’s degree in Botany and Tropical Ecology from Rutgers University in 1978.  She also obtained a certificate in Landscape Architecture from George Washington University in 2004.

Clarice had a long career as a teacher, first serving from 1965-1967 in the United States Peace Corps in Guinea and Togo and at Montclair Kimberley Academy and in the Fairfax County Public School system, retiring in 2008.

She was a Unitarian Universalist and a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Sterling, Virginia where she held leadership positions and was a member of the choir.

Clarice is survived by her husband of 50 years, Augustin Douoguih, three children, Wiemi, Macaya, and Kahwa, two brothers, Steven Shedd and Martin Shedd and three grandchildren Aaron, Sophia and Derek.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: The ALS Association Gift Processing Center, PO Box 37022, Boone, IA 50037-0022 or at www.alsa.org