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Clara
Jones, 101
Fosston
- Clara Jones, 101, formerly of Erskine, died
Thursday, April 25, 2002 at First Care Nursing Home
in Fosston. Services were held Tuesday, April 30,
at 10 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Erskine with
Rev. Peter Satren officiating. Serving as honorary
casketbearers 
were
Dennis Berger, Jon Berger, Wilbur Nielson, and
Alvin Brovold. Active casketbearers included Keith
Gunderson, Ron Howe, Joe Sandberg, Dean Bernard,
Kenneth Jore, Kenneth Hviding, and Helmer Homme.
Interment was in Saron Lutheran Cemetery, rural
Erskine, with Carlin-Hoialmen Funeral Home of
Erskine in charge of the arrangements.
Clara
J. Jones was born on November 20, 1900, the
daughter of John and Lena Jones. She grew up on a
farm north of Erskine and was confirmed at Saron
Lutheran Church near her home. She attended a year
of high school in Erskine , and when she did not
have enough money to continue, she took a job in a
country home for $2.50 a week. She was later
trained as a nurse at Bethesda Hospital in St.
Paul. After graduating from nurse's training, Clara
became a night supervisor. She also completed high
school and graduated from the Lutheran Bible
Institute in Minneapolis. She then worked for the
North Dakota House of Mercy in Fargo.
In
1937, Clara graduated from St. Olaf College, and in
1938, she went to China where she studied the
Chinese language for a year and went to the
interior of China to Lutheran Mission Field Honan
where she served as a nurse at Kioshan Hospital for
a year. The following year, she served as
prinicipal of San Teh Bible School. When the
Japanese invaded China, she returned to the United
States, arriving in Minneapolis on VJ (Victory over
Japan) Day, August 14, 1945.
Clara
attended New York Theological Seminary and received
her master's degree from New York University. She
returned to work at Bethesda Hospital and took
classes at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul.
In 1949, Clara studied at Hartford Seminary in
Hartford, Conn. She returned to Minnesota and in
1951, taught classes at the Lutheran Bible
Institute in Minneapolis.
On
September 15, 1952 she left for Taiwan where she
taught English and English Bible on several radio
stations. She also taught English, speech, and
debate at National Taiwan University. In 1957, she
took a furlough and traveled to Singapore, India,
Pakistan, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany,
Norway, Sweden, England, and France. She returned
to Taiwan for a second five-year term in 1959,
returning to the student center where she taught
Bible study classes to students, professors, and
medical students. In 1964, she took her second
furlough, traveling to Jordan, Israel, Athens,
Africa, Japan, and Korea.
After
returning to the United States and completing her
doctorate degree at Hartford University, Clara
returned to Taiwan for her third five-year term in
1965. She retired from the Taiwan Mission in 1970
at the age of 70. She returned to the United States
after traveling through France, Austria, the
Scandinavian countries, Belgium, and the
Netherlands. She returned to Taiwan in 1972 and
1980, gathering information for another book.
Following
her retirement, Clara traveled extensively for
missions in the United States and Canada. She also
taught local classes on the Book of Revelations.
While in Rochester for surgery in 1981, she had the
opportunity to visit with Rev. and Mrs. Billy
Graham, who were in Rochester at the time. In 1995,
Clara entered First Care Nursing Home in Fosston.
She
was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and was the
author of many published books and more than 40
articles. Her books include "Christ Calls the
Chinese," "Above the Tumult in China," "Study Guide
on Prophecy," "The Conquering Christ is Coming,"
and "We Witness &endash; God Works," which she
wrote in 1995 while residing at First Care Nursing
Home.
Survivors
include two nieces, two nephews, and other
relatives.
Preceding
Clara in death were her parents; three brothers,
Joseph in infancy, Oscar, and Albert Jones; four
sisters, Stella Jones in infancy, Julia Engelstad,
Ella Groven, and Emma Jones; a nephew; and a niece.
A00003B2002MY01
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