Clara Schilling

Clara Schilling, 93, of Redwood Falls died Friday, November 10, 2017 at Valley View Manor in Lamberton. Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 18, 2017 from St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Redwood Falls with burial to follow in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday, November 17, 2017, from 4 until 8 p.m., at Nelson-Hillestad Funeral Home in Redwood Falls. Visitation will continue on Saturday at the church from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m.

Arrangements are with Nelson-Hillestad Funeral and Cremation Service of Redwood Falls. E-mail condolences may be sent via www.nelson-hillestad.com .

Clara Yvonne Schilling was born January 27, 1924 at home near Lamberton, Minnesota to Remi and Helena (DeCapp) Beert, Belgium immigrants.

On November 27, 1940, Clara and John Schilling were united in marriage at St. Mathias Catholic Church in Wanda. Together the couple resided near Wanda, where they farmed and raised 12 children.

Clara was a farmer, housewife, Mom, and caregiver for her father-in-law, mother, and husband. She was an active member of St. Mathias Church, singing in the choir, teaching religion classes, and serving as President of Christian mothers, and later, at the Church of St. Catherine’s as a member of CCW and a Eucharistic minister in both parishes. She worked at Jackpot Junction for 10 years. She traveled to Europe multiple times, Hawaii, Mexico, Illinois, Florida, and canoed the Boundary Waters at the age of 80. She also traveled to visit children in Colorado, California, Georgia, Arizona, Oklahoma, Ohio, Michigan and Arkansas. She enjoyed cooking, dancing, making quilts, singing, music, entertaining, playing 500, and gardening. Most of all, she loved spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She will be remembered as fun-loving, adventurous, generous, faith-filled, quick-witted and extremely energetic.

She is survived by her children: son-in-law John Hoffmann (Kathy), Michael and Jan, Jane and Eugene Gerasch, daughter-in-law MiCha Wegener (Steve), Daniel and Annette, Mary and Joe Martin, Thomas and Susan, Terri and Jeff Heaton, Anita and Rusty Hyder, Margaret Christopherson, and Sue and Doug Tkachuck; 33 grandchildren; and 47 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her siblings Mary Eichten, Betty Hullopeter, Frank and Rosemary Beert; and sister-in-law Pearl Beert.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; brothers Alphonse and Carl; sisters Alice Miller, Julia Springer, and Jean Stepan; and children Stacy and Kenneth Bishop, Kathryn Hoffmann, Stephan Schilling and Richard Christopherson.

Blessed be her memory.