Clara Marie Missildine

Clara Marie (LeJeune) Missildine was born March 13, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Jacob and Hilda (Hoffman) LeJeune. She was the oldest of seven children. She was raised and educated in the Roman Catholic Church and schools in Pittsburgh. She went to Staunton, Virginia in 1943, to work as a civil service medical secretary at an army hospital. There she met Hubert Missildine and they were married May 11, 1946, in Des Moines, Iowa. Three children were born of this marriage; Linda, Ronald and Marsha. A 'big city' born and raised gal did adjust to rearing and raising her children on a farm, and soon farm life and a farm community became her home. After all the children were in school, in 1958, Clara decided to go back to work as a secretary to the Superintendent of Schools in Hansell, Iowa. After school re-organization took place in 1960, she was secretary to the Junior High School Principal, and then to the Middle School Principal. Her life has been devoted to being around children, and she gives them the credit for keeping her young all those years. She considered it a great privilege to have the opportunity to influence and mold young lives for those 27 years in the school system. She taught preschoolers in Bible School and Sunday school for about 11 years. Then she taught an adult Sunday school class and an evening Bible Study Group for about 16 years. She was a faithful worker in the United Methodist Church in Hansell because she loved serving the Lord. Her greatest satisfaction was taking the taped Sunday service to the shut-ins of the parish, as well as taking Communion to them too. She was a member of the HOA Club. She gave over 10 gallons of blood to the Red Cross Blood Program. She served on the Board of Directors for the National Foundation for the March of Dimes for over 12 years. She was a Commissioner on North Iowa Regional Housing Authority for 6 years. She served as secretary on the Board of Directors for the Hansell Community Homes for 11 years. HOSPICE was her favorite work. In addition to her volunteer work with the patients and families, she served as secretary of the Board of Directors for 10 years. Three and a half years after her husband, Hubert died; Clara married Dale Missildine, August 8, 1992, at her daughter Marsha's home in Hampton, Iowa. Immediately after the wedding, she left Iowa to move to Dale's home at the Azalea Trace Retirement Community in Pensacola, Florida. There they had a very happy life together and soon Clara was involved in the activities going on there, like serving on the Chapel Committee, service on the Health Care Committee, and once again to be involved with children by tutoring those in the Buffer II Program. Her list of fame and credits is not very long, but her chief concern in life was trying to be as decent to other people as Christ always was. She strongly believed "the meek shall inherit the earth". Her greatest joy in life was her grandchildren because she felt God gave her a second chance to make up for all the mistakes she made with her own children. Having her family around her brought her much happiness. Her life on this earth ended Monday, January 7, 2013. Her remains will be interred in the Hampton Cemetery. Clara is survived by her children Linda (Marvin) Shoemaker of Ankeny, Iowa, Ronald (Jane) of Aurora, Colorado, and Marsha (Terry) Heilskov of Hampton, Iowa; Grandchildren Jeff (Shelley) Shoemaker, Shelby (Tommy) Rounds, Aron (Dallas) Diaz, Adam (Stephanie) Diaz, Max (Andrea) Booth, Mason (Nikki) Booth, Corey (Greg) Dombrowski, Heather Murphy and Holly (Jay) Kitzman; seventeen Great-Grandchildren, Brother Bud LeJeune of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Sister DellaMae McKracken of Louisville, Kentucky and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by an infant brother, her mother and father, her husband's Hubert and Dale, two sisters Lil and Agnes and brother LeRoy. On January 16, Clara's daughter-in-law Jane lost her battle with cancer.

Tributes

Clara Marie Missildine

March 13, 1923 - January 7, 2013