This month’s feature ancestor is my grandmother, Clara, on my father’s side of the family. Clara was one of ten children, her sister and her being the only girls! Clara also liked to go by the name of Claire and, perhaps, to not confuse her with her namesake aunt. She was also one of my godmothers.
Clara’s love of her life was Walter, my grandfather. She was his second wife, marrying after the death of his first wife. Both were of German ancestry. Together, they ran a confectionary store for over 40 years and were very involved in their Lutheran church congregation. In retirement, they traveled to Hawaii and Europe. They had a son (my father) and a daughter together (Walter had another daughter from his first marriage) and nine grandchildren to continue their legacy. At last count, ten great-grandchildren have sprouted their roots in this branch!
Clara loved history and began documenting my father’s family tree way back in the 1970’s. No doubt I have her genes in me as I picked up the genealogy bug where she left off! She had a terrific sense of humor and made excellent grilled cheese sandwiches . . . yummy! And, can you believe this, she was an early fan of WWF when it aired late night Friday nights?! How she laughed! This beautiful photo of her is from 1944.
Avi 