Clara Alma (Jorstad) Tews died on June 23, 2018 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Her funeral will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. MT at Our Redeemers Lutheran Church in New England, ND.  Pastor Mary Peterson will officiate with burial in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Reeder, ND

Clara was born on April 23, 1921, at the Sigurd Jorstad family farm on the SW quarter of section 12 of Kennedy Township in Hettinger County, North Dakota.  She was the sixth of seven children born to Sigurd and Anne (Lien) Jorstad.

She attended Enterprise #1 (The Ott) school through the eighth grade, enrolled in Regent High School and graduated from New England High School during the spring of 1938.  She enrolled in Dickinson State Teachers College and completed the two-year course of study and was granted lifetime teaching certification.

Clara taught all eight grades in Rice and Adelaide schools; lower grades in Fryberg, and Beach schools.  In September of 1946 she married Clarence Tews and took a leave of absence from teaching to be a farm wife and raise a family.  In 1965, a crop failure prompted her to return to the classroom.  She taught upper grades one year at rural Clark School and then moved to New England Public School to teach third grade until she retired in May of 1986.

Clara was a member of the New England Senior Citizens, Adams County Homemakers Club and the Sons of Norway, Smaa Fjell Lodge.  She was an active member of DeSart Lutheran Church, Rainy Butte Lutheran Church, and Our Redeemer's Lutheran.  In addition to membership in the Rainy Butte Lutheran woman's group she taught Sunday School for many years and served as Sunday School Superintendent.  Clara always had a large garden and was a wonderful cook and baker.

Clara was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence; her three sisters, Olive Stenmoen, Emma Sheldrew and Hazel Hjort; her three brothers Oliver Jorstad, Sig Jorstad and Roy Jorstad.

Pallbearers will be her grandchildren Kristen Luckenbill, Glen Cooper, Cara Harshberger, Kelli Karn and Jason Tews.

Survivors include her son, Curtis (Patricia) Tews, a daughter, LeAnn (Gary) Cooper and her son, Bradley (Brenda) Tews.  Clara had 5 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.