Clara E. Wilson 1872-1975

WILSON, WELCH, MUSTARD, LAVES, ALMY

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes
Date: 7/5/2014 at 09:31:04

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register

CLARA WILSON
DIES AT 103

Clara E. Wilson, 103, of Bloomington, Ind., formerly of Grinnell, died Friday morning at a Bloomington hospital.

Funeral services for Mrs. Wilson will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Smith Funeral Home, with the Rev. Leland Mann of the Mayflower Home officiating. Organist will be Mrs. Willard Heffner, and pallbearers will be Raymond Harris, Harold McCulloch, Wendell Paul, Richard Sears, Beckham Sutton and Harold Tice.

Burial will be at Chester Cemetery north of Grinnell. Should friends desire, memorials in Mrs. Wilson's name may be made to the Grinnell General Hospital Auxiliary.

The daughter of Cephas and Aurelia Welch Mustard, she was born April 24, 1872, in Fremont County, Iowa. She attended rural school near her home and later taught in rural schools in Iowa for eight years before entering teachers college in Lincoln, Neb.

On Dec. 29, 1896, she was married to William Bird Wilson in Thurman, Iowa. The couple had five children, Ruth, Walter, Myrtle, Marion and Walter's twin who died at birth.

Following their marriage, the Rev. and Mrs. Wilson made their home in Moorehead and Delta, moving to Grinnell in 1911 where the Rev. Mr. Wilson was pastor of the Broad Street Christian Church. He later served as pastor of the Chester United Church of Christ-Congregational for approximately 10 years. The Rev. Mr. Wilson preceded her in death in 1961.

Following her husband's death, Mrs. Wilson moved to Bloomington to live with her daughters. She was a member of the United Church of Christ-Congregational. She worked with Campfire Girls, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and 4-H clubs. She also instituted school lunch programs, did substitute teaching, and was active in other educational activities. She was a founder and first president of the women's auxiliary of Community Hospital. She also served as a member of the Grinnell School Board and the Public Library Board.

Mrs. Wilson is survived by her four children, Mrs. Walter H.C. (Ruth) Laves of Bloomington, Walter M. Wilson of Elgin, Ill., Mrs. Frank A. (Myrtle) Almy of Bloomington, and Marion B. Wilson of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; six grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, one son, and 12 brothers and sisters.