Clara Louise Ryan

Clara L. Ryan 94, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, passed away Monday, July 8, 2019 at Park Place Elder Living.

Visitation will be held from 12 noon until 5:00 p.m., on Sunday, July 14, 2019, at Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel. The family will greet friends from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. at the Memorial Chapel that afternoon. Private inurnment will be held at Oakland Mills Cemetery at a later date. Gifts of love and friendship may be given to First United Methodist Church or Henry County Heritage Trust. On-line condolences may be directed to www.olsonpowell.com.

Born November 17, 1924, in Hooper, NE, Clara Louise, was the daughter of John and Louise Fredericka (Kreie) Edelmaier. She was raised in Lincoln, NE, and graduated from Lincoln High School. On February 1, 1947, she married James Joseph Ryan, Jr. in Lincoln.

After high school Clara lived in Baltimore, MD, with her sisters family, and was a telephone operator. Following her marriage, Claras highest priority was the care of her family. Moving to Mt. Pleasant in 1963, with her family, she was a clerical worker for Packers Sanitation and the T.T.T. National Office.

A member of First United Methodist Church, Clara enjoyed playing cards and board games, especially Scrabble. She was a Cubs and Nebraska Big Red sports fan. Clara was a collector of paper weights and found many treasures at garage sales. She was most proud of making doll houses for her grandchildren.

Clara is survived by two children, Patricia (Kent) White and Thomas (Gina) Ryan, all of Mt. Pleasant, IA; four grandchildren, Andrew White of Seoul, South Korea, Kami White of Portland, OR, Ira Ryan of Portland, OR, and Dustin Ryan - Busch of Seattle, WA; and five great grandchildren, Lola, Betty, Charles, Aurora, and Alma. She is also survived by a brother, John Edelmaier of Lincoln, NE, and several nieces and nephews.

Along with her parents and ex-husband, Clara was preceded in death by a sister, Sue Pennington Hanway, and a brother, who died in infancy.