TRAPP, Clara Anna (Gross) 1927-2019

TRAPP, GROSS, SHATZ

Posted By: K. L. Kittleson
Date: 6/25/2019 at 10:43:14

Clara Anna Trapp

February 13, 1927 - June 20, 2019

Clara's Obituary

Clara Trapp, 92, of Carmel, Indiana, and formerly of Cedar Falls, Iowa, died Thursday, June 20, 2019, at The Stratford in Carmel.

A memorial service is planned for July 27, 2019 at St. Peter Lutheran Church, 28884 State Street, Eldorado/West Union, Iowa with lunch following at the church. Graveside service will take place at Fairview Cemetery, 1350 West 12th Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa. A family visitation will follow at 4:30 p.m. in Cedar Falls.

Memorials may be made to the Ken and Clara Trapp Scholarship, UNI Foundation, 121 Commons, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0239, or to a cause of the giver’s choice.

Clara was born to Elsie (Shatz) and Fritz Gross on February 13, 1927 on the family farm near Eldorado, Iowa. She and older brothers Alvin and Walter grew up before electricity reached their farm and attended a one-room country school and West Union High School. The family worshipped at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Eldorado where Clara was baptized, confirmed, and married.

Clara attended Wartburg College where she wore her first pants outfit and sent a “dear John” letter to Ken Trapp, her hometown sweetheart, who was in the army in Italy at the time. After her studies at Wartburg, Clara took a position with Augsburg Publishing in Columbus, Ohio. At Christmas time in 1945, Clara and Ken met by fateful chance at Union Station in Chicago, both looking for a train seat home. Servicemen got first chance, so Ken pretended Clara was his wife so she could board as well. On June 1, 1947, they were married in Eldorado.

The newly married Trapps moved to Cedar Falls and lived there for more than 35 years, raising two daughters, Joan and Lynne. There they were active members of St. John Lutheran Church. Clara taught Sunday School and was a leader in the church’s Christian education program, led Girl Scout and Campfire Girl troops, volunteered at Sartori Hospital, and was a member of the PEO sisterhood, an organization committed to educational opportunities for women.

Clara loved classical music and imparted that sensibility to her family. She played piano, sang with gusto in church, and encouraged her daughters to practice diligently on their chosen instruments. Clara kept lovely homes for her family and was a talented do-it-yourselfer. Caring for her flower and vegetable gardens was a special joy for Clara. She made clothes for her daughters and herself for holidays and special occasions.

She was an excellent cook, known for her pies and hundreds of Christmas cookies delivered to friends and neighbors. She was a needlepoint enthusiast, giving many beautiful handmade pieces to family members. Meanwhile, Ken built a successful real estate business that, along with Clara’s homemaking skills, gave Joan and Lynne rich opportunities for travel and education. Clara and Ken were long-standing supporters of many causes, especially higher education, Lutheran-based organizations, and the arts.

In 1983 Clara and Ken moved to Scottsdale, Arizona where they spent 17 years enjoying the outdoors in the Southwest’s beautiful desert and mountains. They travelled to Europe, China, Russia, Africa, Israel, South America, and Australia. In Scottsdale, the Trapps joined Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, where Clara served as a church librarian. She was once again active in PEO.

With the new millennium, Clara and Ken returned to the Midwest, settling in the Indianapolis area near Lynne and Greg and not so far from Joan’s family in Iowa. There, they became engaged in a new community where Clara made friends in a local PEO chapter and in her neighborhood. As a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Zionsville, Clara served as a committee member for capital projects.

As Alzheimer’s Disease diminished Ken’s abilities, Clara learned more technical computer skills and managed household and financial matters with her little Shih Tzu Mumsy at her side. Ken died in 2006. In 2012, Clara moved to The Stratford retirement community in Carmel, Indiana.

Clara is survived by daughters, Joan and her family Richard and Margaret Legg in Davenport, Iowa, and Lynne and husband Greg Fuller of Indianapolis, Indiana; sisters-in-law, Lilli Gross of Eldorado and Marilyn Nesvik of Cedar Falls, many much-loved nieces, nephews and cousins, and Mumsy.

SOURCE: Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof funeral home