Clara Kritzmeyer

The funeral service for Clara R. Kritzmire, 91, Frazee, MN formerly of Parker, South Dakota will be held on Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 2 p.m. in United Methodist Church, Parker, SD with Reverend Nancy Manning officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service in the church. Burial will be in Rosehill Cemetery, Parker, SD. Clara died on Wednesday, May 22, 2008 in the Frazee Care Center. Clara Rosetta Arends was born the daughter of Harm and Selina (Roberts) Arends on May 31, 1916 in Davis, South Dakota. She was raised near Chancellor and Lennox, South Dakota and attended grade school at Pleasant View District 31 in Lincoln County. Clara graduated from junior high school in District 81 in Minnehaha County and then attended Parker High School where she graduated earning Salutatorian in 1935. She worked several years doing domestic work in the Parker area. She moved to Chicago, Illinois for a short while and then on June 21, 1937 she was united in marriage to Robert E. Kritzmire. They moved to a farm near Pierre, South Dakota and were blessed with eight children. In November of 1947, they moved to Parker and she worked at Koehn’s Variety and Step Inn Café. In 1960 Clara graduated from Sioux Falls College. She taught in rural schools in Turner County until joining the staff at Parker Independent School and worked as a teacher’s aid and later became the elementary secretary retiring in 1982. Robert died in 1977. Clara then moved to Coleridge, Nebraska where she lived with her daughter, Roberta for six years. In 1988, she returned to Parker and in 2003 she moved to Frazee, Minnesota. Clara enjoyed many things especially reading, dominoes, crossword puzzles, sewing, crocheting and gardening. She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Parker, St. Cecelia Chapter 77 Order of Eastern Star, Martha Circle, Past Matrons and VFW Auxiliary. She is survived by five daughters, Roberta (Emery) Hoesing of Coleridge, NE; Mary Jane (Leon) Beyer of Frazee, MN; Rose (Richard) Bosworth of Plankinton, SD; Clara (Dan) Niezgoda of Glendale Heights, IL; Barbara Rice of Wichita, KS; three sons, Edward (Susan) Kritzmire of Pace, FL; John (Marsha) Kritzmire of Sioux Falls, SD; and Jim (Carol Ann) Kritzmire of Claremore, OK. Clara is also survived by 28 grandchildren, 43 great grandchildren, three sisters-in-law and many nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her husband, one grandson, a great granddaughter, a sister and five brothers.