Clara Mae Whitford 1914-2007

BAECHLER, SHAFFER, BAUMGARTNER, KOHLS, JENNINGS, WHITFORD, GRIFFITH, WICKSTROM, MUEHLETHALER

Posted By: N. Wagner (email)
Date: 10/7/2007 at 22:22:08

Clara Mae Shaffer Whitford died Monday, Sept. 24, 2007, at the West Union Good Samaritan Center following a brief illness.

Funeral services were held Friday, Sept. 28, at the West Union United Methodist Church with the Rev. Scott Keele Kober officiating. Steve Story was the organist.

Interment was in the Illyria Cemetery, rural Elgin. Steve Whitford, David Whitford, Scott Whitford, Troy Shaffer, Trent Shaffer, Daren Shaffer, Kyle Shaffer, Ken Shaffer and Paul Whitford served as pallbearers.

Leonard Funeral Home, Elgin, handled the arrangements.

Clara Mae (Baechler) Shaffer Whitford was born July 9, 1914, on a farm west of Elgin to Ernest and Rose (Baumgartner) Baechler.

She graduated from Elgin High School in 1932.

On Dec. 22, 1932, Clara and Howard Shaffer were married. Four children were born to this union. In 1939, the Shaffers purchased a farm near Wadena, in Illyria Township. Howard died in October 1962.

Clara then moved to West Union, where she worked for Putz Insurance for a time and for the Fayette County Treasurer's Office.

On June 10, 1967, Clara married Floyd Whitford, who was owner-manager of West Union Auction Exchange, and added Floyd's four children to her family. Floyd died suddenly in 1977.

Clara was an active member of the West Union United Methodist Church and its UMW. She held several offices in the West Union Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Clara enjoyed all of nature, flowers, birds, traveling, reading, music, quilting and other handcrafts. She especially loved following the activities of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Following a stroke in 2005, Clara moved to the West Union Good Samaritan Center, where she continued to make friends with those around her.

In addition to her two husbands, Clara was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, John, Alfred and Melbert Baechler; and two sisters, Selma Kohls and Mary Jennings.

Clara is survived by her children and spouses, Wanda (Don) Whitford of Robins, Stan (Sharon) Shaffer of Elgin, Denny (Anita) Shaffer of Clayton, Jon (Vera) Shaffer of Elgin; and her stepchildren, Jean Olive "Jo" Griffith of Savage, Minn., Wendell (Judy) Whitford of North Liberty, Clark (Ebby) Whitford of West Union, Mary (Russ) Wickstrom of Minneapolis, Minn.

Additional survivors include 22 beloved grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; a sister, Helen Muehlethaler of Stewartville, Minn.; numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be directed to the West Union United Methodist Church, West Union Community Library, or the West Union Good Samaritan Center.

Fayette County Union
October 2, 2007