Funeral services for Clara Schafer, 87, of New Leipzig, ND will be Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at the New Leipzig Baptist Church. Rev. Hazel Behrens and Rev. Rodney Schafer will officiate. Burial will be at the Zoar United Methodist Cemetery south of New Leipzig. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday morning.

Serving as Pallbearers are Delmar Dietz, Brian Roth, Scott Cummings, Jamison Hild, AJ Hild and Kevin VanDerWerff.

All nieces, nephews, family and friends are considered Honorary Pallbearers.

Special music will be provided by Shirley Roehl, The Schafer Family, and Brian and Gloria Roth.

CLARA SCHAFER was born on June 15, 1921 on the Schafer homestead, near New Leipzig, ND to Karl and Philipina (Backer) Schafer. Clara was raised on the Schafer homestead and attended grade school near the farm. She moved to New Leipzig in 1958 and lived with her father and took care of him until he passed away in 1969.


Clara was never married but claimed all of her nieces and nephews as her own children. She provided child care to various families in New Leipzig. After her dad's death, Clara moved to Kenmare, ND in 1969 and also provided child care while living with and caring for an elderly woman. She later moved to Mandan, ND for a brief time, and took care of children there. In 1980 Clara moved back to New Leipzig and then entered the Dakota Hills in 2004 and the Jacobson Memorial Care Center in 2005.


Clara was a member of the New Leipzig Baptist Church and the Women Missionary Society. She sent birthday cards to her brothers and sisters, her in-laws, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and never missed one. She enjoyed embroidering, reading, crossword puzzles, gardening and raising flowers.

Clara Schafer passed away at the Jacobson Memorial Care Center in Elgin, ND on January 26, 2009.

She is survived by her brothers, Ernest (Lorraine) Schafer, New Leipzig, ND and Elmer (Agnes) Schafer, Missoula, MT and numerous nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors. Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Karl and Philipina, her stepmother, Katherine Kuntz Schafer, brothers, George, Karl, Oscar, Henry, Albert and Eddy; her sisters, Rose, in infancy, Katherine George and Lillian Imhoff, and a nephew, Doug George.