CLARA SCHELLENBERG

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CLARA SCHELLENBERG 1918 - 2018 Life is an open road. Clara's journey came to a gentle end on Friday, June 22, 2018. Her death happened a week after a fall in her home at Concordia Village. Clara lived a hundred years. She said farewell to many over the decades: close friend Erna; niece Carol; parents, Anna and Abram; sister Louise; brothers, John, Abram, Peter and David. Remembering Clara are Scrabble friend Helen, nephews, Neil, Alvin, Arnold, and Paul and their families. Her 100-year odyssey began in the Ukraine during the Russian Revolution. Her family immigrated to Canada in 1923 and settled in Hague, Saskatchewan. The roadway of Clara's life took shape in her 20s when she worked as a volunteer teacher in Mexico during the early 1940s. Her career in teaching began in one-room schools in Mexico and Winnipeg. She was a teacher all her working life and she wanted to look the part. Her clothes, jewellry and accessories were a hit with the kids. She liked wearing a fur coat to church and concerts. She was a lady. Clara found a lifelong friendship with Erna Klassen when they were both volunteers with Mennonite Central Committee in Mexico. For us Schellenberg's the two were 'Erna and Aunt Clara'; for the Klassen's it was 'Clara and Aunt Erna'. Erna looked after the food and Aunt Clara looked after the fine china and furniture. Her leisure careers included travel, hospitality, Scrabble, worship, cameras and slides. Her storage room had about 30,000 slides. Each slide was organized with a caption - place and date. Clara decided to forfeit her car when she moved to Concordia Village. It meant transitioning to a life of ease and comfort, she managed but she missed the road. So, Clara, Jessie, Helen and Arne developed a tradition over the past five years. After Sunday suppers, they would drive to St. Andrews River Road to Lockport where they'd watch the pelicans and from there they went back to Winnipeg on Henderson Highway to have coffee at Mountain Bean. The day would end back home to Concordia Village. Family was her passion. First Mennonite Church was her church home. The memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at Concordia Village, 1125 Molson Street, Winnipeg at 11:00 a.m. Donations in honour of Clara can be made to Mennonite Central Committee.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 30, 2018