Clara Ruth Ost, 83

Clara Ruth Ost was born on May 9, 1939 in Duluth, Minnesota to John Anders Riveness, an immigrant from Norway, and Ruth Christine Riveness, a first-generation Norwegian-American. She was the first daughter, and the third of seven children. She gave her heart to Jesus as a little girl of nine years old, and she loved and served him her whole life.

Clara grew up in the small northwestern Minnesota town of Karlstad, where her father was a pastor. Days were spent helping her mother with her younger siblings, loving every minute of school, chiefly because she enjoyed seeing her friends, singing on her father’s radio broadcast “Words of Life” and at churches with her friend Lucille Wikstrom. She graduated from Karlstad High School in 1957. She became a licensed practical after high school, and worked in the Thief River Falls Hospital in labor and delivery.

In April of 1959, she was introduced to John Ost, who pastored a Spanish-speaking church in McAllen, Texas. They dated a few times in person, but their relationship was mostly long-distance, and the letters flew back and forth from Texas to Minnesota daily. They were engaged in July of the same year, and married on November 8, 1959. Theirs was a true love story, a match made in Heaven. She left northern Minnesota for the very tip of Texas when she married John, and embraced a completely different culture, weather, and way of life. All services at John’s church, Iglesia Biblica, were in Spanish, but she learned Spanish simply by hearing it, and was soon able to understand and speak the language.

Clara thrived as a homemaker and mother, for many years supporting her husband as he served as a pastor, then General Director of a mission’s organization, Christian Fellowship Union. She often hosted many in her home, made meals for large groups and bravely ran the household when her husband was away fund raising or on trips to other countries.

As their children grew, Clara and John attended English-speaking churches for their benefit, always supporting the local pastors and being involved in Sunday School teaching, marriage classes and singing in the choir. She worked as receptionist at her children’s school for a time as well. For more than a decade, Clara provided leadership for an international Christian women’s organization, Women’s Aglow Fellowship, serving on the Board of Directors and eventually becoming area president. When she was 52, she went back to nursing school saying, “too much has changed since 1957. I’d like to do some nursing work again, but I think I need a refresher.” She went through the entire program and graduated in 1994 once again as a licensed nurse, all the while cheering on her classmates and leading them in prayer at their request before exams. Clara delighted in working as a nurse for several years before retiring from that profession.

Of all of her vocations, being a mother was her favorite. Clara was told she would likely never have children, but God gave her four: Samuel Charles, James Alan, Deborah Louise and Stephanie Faith. She was a fun and loving mother who made even hard circumstances seem like an adventure. She sang, told jokes and fully enjoyed her family. Evening suppers were always full of laughter, delicious food, and family conversation.

Clara loved her children’s spouses, Linda, Esther, Lance and Quintin. And she was overjoyed when she became a grandmother. She had ten grandchildren and she loved Samuel Johnson, her great-nephew, like a grandson as well.

Clara suffered many hardships and trials, but always with a faith that never failed. The hardest time was when she lost her beloved husband in May 2006 followed by her son Samuel in September of 2006, and her father in December 2007. She would often say, “I don’t understand God, but I trust him.”

In her later years, after being widowed, she felt it was her responsibility to encourage as many people as possible. She did this by recording her Coffee with Clara talks on YouTube, by hugging people that seemed lonely, and by going up to complete strangers, giving them a beautiful new handkerchief, and telling them, “I want you to know God loves you and I will be praying for you.” She loved to give and give and give. None of her children or grandchildren ever left her house empty-handed. The Sunday before she passed away, she was making arrangements to give money to a friend of hers who was going to Albania to minister and, since she had not been able to go to church that morning, she paid her tithe on-line.

Clara was called home on her favorite day of the week, Sunday, March 12, 2023. Her granddaughter Caroline held her hand and prayed her into the presence of Jesus who she loved so much her entire life.

Clara was preceded in death by her beloved husband John Timothy, son Samuel Charles, brother David Riveness, sister Jennie Stanfield, and brother-in-law David Stanfield.

Clara is survived by her children, James Ost (Esther), Deborah Krueger (Lance), Stephanie Azpeitia (Quintin) and daughter-in-law Linda Zajas (Paul). She is also survived by her grandchildren Joel, Tiffany, Nathan, Quintin C., Vanessa, Elizabeth, Caroline, Lorien, Rachel and Joseph. She is also survived by brothers Paul (Myrle), and Phil Riveness and sisters Sharon Spielberg (Jerry) and JoAnne Rokke (Howard) and sister-in-law Grace McElhannon.

Clara is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, friends, church family that she loved with all her heart, and all of those who interacted with Clara as she went about her daily life. All will feel her loss greatly, as she genuinely cared about them, made them feel important and prayed for them.

Clara’s greatest desire would be for all of you to know that Jesus loves you very much, that prayers never die, and that she wants so much to see you again one day in Heaven.

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