Clarice Nordmeyer

CLARICE JOAN NORDMEYER was born on April 25, 1929, to Carl Jacob and Leona Kathrine (Hansen) Oerter at the Vadheim Hospital in Tyler, Minnesota. During her first years of life, she lived with her family on a farm just west of Arco, Minnesota before moving to the Oerter homestead east of Arco in 1939. She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and later confirmed in May of 1943, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Arco. She attended school in Arco and Ivanhoe, graduating in 1947. Clarice attended Normal Training as most one-room school teachers did in the 1950s and then furthered her education at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in elementary education on June 13, 1971. Her education was put to good use throughout her lifelong career as a teacher. She taught at Marshfield Rural School, Arco School, Ivanhoe School, and finally the Lake Benton School where she taught for 21 years. Clarice continued to substitute teach for 10 years

following her retirement in 1990.

Clarice was united in marriage to Kenneth Duane Nordmeyer at her childhood church on March 4, 1950. They made their first home northeast of Arco on a rented farm that Clarice always referred to as their "honeymoon home." They then moved north of Lake Benton where they rented the John Fox farm. The couple went on to purchase "the Nordmeyer farm on the hill" in 1962, and resided there for seventeen years prior to moving into Lake Benton on November 2, 1979. Her final move was to the Benton Valley Manor in Lake Benton on February 20, 2019, nine years after Kenneth's death on April 29, 2010.

Clarice was an active member of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lake Benton. She sang in the choir, was a member of the church circle and the St. John's card club, and taught Bible school. She also served her community on the library board, the Opera House board for many years for which she was honored in 2015, and was a member of the historical society. In her spare time, she enjoyed arts such as crocheting, embroidery, knitting, and oil painting. She meticulously maintained her vegetable and flower gardens. Clarice loved to travel and fish at their camp site at Turtle Lake, near Underwood, MN. She appreciated the company of people and was always prepared to entertain friends and relatives, especially when card games (oh the card games!) such as cribbage, pinochle, 500, and dirty pepper were involved. Above all, Clarice valued her relationships with loved ones.

Clarice will be remembered by her children, Craig (Carol) Nordmeyer, Julayne (John) Thoreson, Karen (Bernard) Koch, Glenyce Nordmeyer Coley, and Lee (Holly) Nordmeyer; nine grandchildren, Brett (Tamara) Nordmeyer, Jennifer (Corey) Tellinghuisen, Melissa (Jay) LaBay, Lynnea (Justin) Seivert, Jay (Sherri) Koch, Amy (Kevin) McKenzie, Taylor (Ali) Nordmeyer, Conor (Kelly) Nordmeyer, Cammi Nordmeyer; thirteen great-grandchildren, Dakota (Ashley) Nordmeyer; Kate, Lily, Evie, George Tellinghuisen; Preston, Georgia LaBay; Rhett, Gavin, Livia Seivert; Issacc, Elijah, Isla Nordmeyer; three great-great-grandchildren, Atlas, Damon, and Austin Nordmeyer; and brother, Norris (Barbara) Oerter. She was preceded in death by her brother, Arlyn; husband, Kenneth; and son-in-law, Mike Coley.