Clara’s family will hold a private entombment at the Dickinson Mausoleum.

On October 21, 2026, Clara was called into eternity to be with her Lord and Savior and reunited with all the loved ones who had gone before her. Surrounded by her loving family, her big, spunky, witty, creative heart beat its last. She is now enjoying the blessed hope and promises of salvation given to those who place their faith in the finished work of Christ alone.

Clara, the only daughter of Michael Lawerence Thielen and Mary Koffler, was born on August 12, 1929 in Dickinson, North Dakota. Dickinson was her home throughout her childhood and she graduated from St. Joseph’s school in 1943. That same year, at just 14 years old, she joined the choir at St. Joseph’s where she sang everything from Latin Masses and Gregorian chants to German hymns that accompanied Father George Aberle’s German sermons. And while that might sound like quite the musical undertaking for a teenager, Clara loved every minute of it. Choir practice was the highlight of her week and it was where her love and appreciation for music began.

Her passion for music continued to grow, and by the time she graduated from Central High School in 1947, she had become quite the musical talent. She pursued her love of music as a vocal soloist and percussionist with both the high school choir and band and with the Dickinson city band. As a high school senior she began singing with the Dickinson State College Concert Choir. She attended Dickinson State College from 1948 to 1949.

Back in 1929, the cost of a brand-new automobile was $525, a gallon of gas was a whopping 10 cents, and the average yearly income was $1414, but Clara learned the value of a dollar at an early age. At just 14 years old, armed with homemade lye soap and a large wooden sink, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work washing dishes at the City Cafe. From there she worked the lunch counter at Stockman’s Livestock, later moving into sales at the S&L Store and F.W. Woolworth’s on Villard Street making 75 cents an hour. She eventually traded the sales counter for the Dickinson music store and later as a switchboard telephone operator for N.W. Bell Telephone Company. Clara was on duty the night of January 20,1949 when the Villard Hotel went up in flames and the switchboard lit up with calls. She actually left her post taking calls fearing her then boyfriend, Donald Hauck, was in danger as the room he rented was close to the burning building. She found him there sleeping soundly, not knowing there was a fire in the building close by. One might say, she saved his life that day.

In 1947 she met Donald Hauck at the Hiway Inn Roller Skating Rink. When a friend pointed him out to her, Clara stated, “I’d never date someone with that kind of name!” Famous last words. They were married at St. Joseph’s Church on June 5, 1950. Their first two children, Donnie and Neil, were born while living in Dickinson. In November of 1953, Donald accepted management of Bill Hamann Farm and Ranch, which they eventually purchased. They lived there for 60 years and had four more children–Jane, Galen, Laura, and Julianne. On June 4, 2011, the day before their 61st wedding anniversary, Donald passed away from an accidental fall on his farm. Clara remained on the farm until November 2018, when she moved to Oxbow ND to live with her eldest daughter.

Music remained one of Clara’s great loves throughout her life. She had a beautiful soprano voice and she didn’t let it go to waste. She and Donald also enjoyed attending Metropolitan Opera performances in Minneapolis for many years, and in 1956 when the Metropolitan Opera held its first auditions in the area, Clara was among those selected to audition in Minneapolis. From 1946 until the year of her husband’s passing, she performed in every presentation of The Messiah at DSU, along with numerous concerts, recitals, and operas.

But of all the music Clara sang over the years, the songs that meant the most were those she sang for her Lord. She found great joy in worshipping at River of Life Church as her faith in Jesus Christ was at the very heart of her life. And while Clara certainly left behind a lifetime of beautiful music, the legacy she cared most about had nothing to do with applause or standing ovations. It was her faith. She believed that raising her children to know and follow the Lord was her God-given purpose, and her greatest desire was that her faith would live on through her family and friends. For Clara, that was a legacy worth far more than any performance, and a song worth passing down for generations.

Clara was something of a Renaissance woman, with a curious mind and an impressive assortment of interests. She loved digging into family history through genealogy and expressing her creativity through painting and photography. She spent so many evenings pouring into scrapbooks she made for each of her grandchildren. If you’ve had a conversation with her on world events, there’s a good chance you knew her political party alignment, especially if you followed behind her beloved Buick. She diligently studied natural health and disease prevention and had her own pharmacy of supplements in her home. She never boasted of her big garden and how the harvest stocked the shelves of her cellar, but it would have wowed you. Her collection of cookbooks and recipes attest to her love of cooking. She even enjoyed just sitting and reading them. She was also a charter member of Germans From Russia and served as secretary and president of home and school associations. Clara had a lifelong appetite for learning and very little escaped her curiosity! If she had grown up in the age of the internet, she would have been addicted to all the information she would have found.

Clara was preceded in death by her husband, Donald, her father Michael Lawrence, her mother Mary, her brother Larry and his wife Elsie, her granddaughter Kelsey, and her grandson Nathan. She is survived by her children Donnie (Mike) Strei, Neil (Bobbie), Jane Schank, Galen (Diane), Laura & (Kelvin) Heinsen, and Julianne Berger, seventeen grandchildren, and forty great grandchildren.