Hazel Clave

Hazel Sophia Johnson Clave, 107, passed away on Sunday, January 22, quietly and in her sleep, at Crestview Manor in Webster City. She was born September 8, 1904, in Redfield, South Dakota, the daughter of Otto and Anna Johnson. She was born the same year the New York Subway opened, the year that construction began on the Panama Canal, Times Square was named, Theodore Roosevelt was elected president, and Marie Curie discovered radium. After attending Bethany Junior College and graduating from Carlton College (1926), she married James Clave in 1929 and they moved several times before settling in Webster City. They had three children, Rosalie Ann, Judith and James. She taught English to hundreds of Webster City middle- and high-school students - and seemed to remember every one of them by name. As she neared retirement, Hazel began to travel. An active member of the Webster City Travel Club, she traveled with friends and family across the US, Europe, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Long an avid writer and Quill Club member, she also began to explore new avenues of creativity through painting classes in her retirement. She loved being a grandmother and great grandmother, would travel extensively to visit grandchildren, and was known to bring cookie dough with her so everyone could enjoy her signature cookies right out of the oven. Her cookie recipes (particularly the Swedish Wedding Cakes) are still being lovingly prepared and savored by generations of her family. She was an active volunteer in the community, with the Red Cross and Meals on Wheels, for which she made deliveries well into her 80s. She taught Sunday School for many years at the First Congregational Church, where she was also a member of the Mayflower Plymouth Circle. She was an avid reader and gardener, and an active member of the P.E.O. Asked her secret to a long life, she noted that she had walked two miles a day since a doctor ordered it for her as a child after a bout with pleurisy, a discipline which she continued into her 90s. Her favorite places to walk were Kendall Young Park and Brewer's Creek. She also drank large quantities of coffee and never refused chocolate. The family would like to thank the staff of Crestview Senior Living for their attentive care during Hazel's final years, as well as the many friends who visited her there. Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, James, daughter Judith Clave Layng, son James Louis Clave, and son-in-law William McNary. She leaves behind to cherish her memory daughter Rosalie Clave McNary of Littleton CO; grandson Scott McNary and his wife Judy of Broomfield, CO, and their children, Erin, Jack and Tom; granddaughter Lisa McNary Stanek and her husband Jim of Denver, CO, and their children Taylor and Cate; granddaughter Kristin Layng Szakos and her husband Joe of Charlottesville, VA, and their children Anna and Maria; granddaughter Melissa Clave Brulé and her husband Andy of Vancouver, Canada, and their children Bennett, Mitchell and Angelina; and daughter-in-law Gretchen Clave of Burlington. A memorial service is planned for February 11 at 2:00 p.m. at First Congregational U.C.C. with Rev. Craig Blaufuss officiating. Visitation with the family will begin at 1 p.m. and refreshments will follow the service. Foster Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. The family asks that any remembrances be made to First Congregational U.C.C. at 1000 Willson Ave., Webster City, IA 50595, or Kendall Young Library, 1201 Willson Ave., Webster City, IA 50595.