LaVerne Clark

LaVerne Harriet Clark

Apr. 25, 1932 – Jan. 1, 2019

LaVerne Harriet Clark, 86, of Aurora, MN, passed away Tuesday, January 1, 2019, at Northern Pines Hospital in Aurora. Funeral services were held Saturday, January 5th.

LaVerne was born April 25, 1932, in the Milaca, MN area, where she grew up and eventually married Robert Clark in October, 1952. They, along with their young

daughters, moved to Rugby, ND in 1964, where they operated Clarks Painting Service for many years.

As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, she and her husband spent many hours spreading the word of God in communities across the upper Midwest. One of their favorite ac-

tivities was to volunteer in helping construct new houses of worship, Kingdom Halls, in several cities throughout MN, ND and SD.

LaVerne was a vibrant, happy woman, known for her gracious smile and her kind and generous nature. She loved quilting, embroidery and crafts of all sorts, gardening, Scrabble and cooking for her family and friends.

Her willingness to work hard at any endeavor was evident throughout her life, from the days in her youth when she trapped weasels and sold the pelts to contribute to her family’s finances, to the summer when, as a young mother, she canned 600 quarts of food from produce she had grown in her garden.

Her love of jigsaw puzzles became very apparent, especially later in life when her tenacity in finishing her current project, no matter how difficult, was exemplary. The

family’s favorite LaVerne quote was said in reference to finding those final, elusive pieces…but, the words became a larger life lesson. “Never give up on a blue sky.”

LaVerne was preceded in death by her husband, Robert; her parents, Lawrence and Harriet Ablard; and her brother, Sonny Ablard.

She is survived by her sister, Beverly (Carl) Heinrich; daughters, Peggy (Arnold) Autio and Julie (James) Campbell; Grandchildren, Matthew Autio, Megan Newton,

Melanie Fetter and Trevor Garcia; great grandsons, Xavier, Jace and Rhys: and numerous nieces and nephews.

Internment will be in the spring at Island Lake Cemetery, near Wolford, ND.