Clara A. Pool

Clara A. Pool, 107, Bismarck, died April 6, 2018, at St. Vincent’s Care Center. Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, at the St. Vincent’s Care Center Chapel, with the Rev. Jerry Kautzman officiating. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Clara was born on September 17, 1910, at Denhoff, ND, the daughter of James and Mary (Ritchie) Fitzgerald. After high school, Clara worked in Regan, ND, as a telephone operator. During this time, she met John Pool. She married John on October 8, 1929, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Rectory in Wilton, ND. More than a homemaker, Clara helped John during his lengthy teaching career and enjoyed working with the students. After John retired from teaching in 1949, Clara and John moved to Hunter, ND, where they owned and operated the Hunter Movie Theater for 18 years. Though having no children of their own, it was during their time in Hunter that Clara and John parented their nephews, Charles and Patrick Fisher, and niece, Linda. Devout Catholics, Clara and John were active members of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Hunter. Clara enjoyed visiting with friends and that often included card games and sweets. Known for her cooking and baking, she’s especially remembered for her fried chicken by any who were privileged to enjoy it. Wanting to continue in Catholic community and desiring to be closer to family, Clara and John moved to Bismarck’s Marillac Manor when it opened in 1986. After John’s death in 2000, Clara continued in their Marillac Manor apartment until March of 2014. She then moved to Edgewood Village’s assisted living apartments where she resided for nearly a year before moving to St. Vincent’s Care Center in February of 2015. Clara will be remembered for her smile, the twinkle in her eye, and her many stories from a long life well-lived. She’ll also be remembered for her longevity, though she modestly elected not to draw much attention to it. Clara is survived by one sister, Irene Diel, Tacoma, WA, and several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews and God-children. She was preceded in death by her husband, John; her parents, James and Mary; her brothers, Harvey, Lawrence, Bart and James; and her sisters, Laura Sherman and Frances Krueger.