Clara Harper Whitelaw died peacefully on Monday, November 8, 2010, at her home in Blacksburg, Va. Clara was born on July 3, 1917, in Lafayette, Tenn., the second of the three children of Dora and Walter Harper.
She lived with her grandparents after her father's death from tuberculosis and during her mother's decline from the same disease. After her mother's death, Clara and her brother and sister received an excellent upbringing in the Baptist Children's Home in the Nashville area. Clara had fond memories of her surrogate parents and classmates there and went back for reunions even into her eighties.
Thanks to her academic achievements in high school, Clara was awarded a scholarship to attend the Tennessee College for Women (now Belmont University), where she was active in sports, and earned a degree in English Literature.
After graduation she held a position in Nashville as administrative assistant to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In church one Sunday, she met Robert, a young Canadian engineer visiting in the area on business for the British government. After a few dates, it became clear to the two of them that they were meant to be together, and indeed they spent the next 66 years as partners in the rearing of their three sons and in the furtherance of their mutually-held Christian faith.
Immediately after their wedding in October of 1942, Clara was thrust into the difficult situation, endured by many young wives of the time, of keeping the home fires burning while her new husband was involved in the war effort.
By mid-1950, she was the mother of three young boys, and had the full-time job of economically managing a household and of supporting her sons in the task of growing into productive citizens and loving Christians. This task she performed worthily, herself providing an example of Christian service by teaching Sunday School and singing in the church choir.
Later, when daughters-in-law entered the picture--her long-awaited girls--Clara tactfully initiated them into the arts of fitting into the Whitelaw clan. As grandchildren arrived, she and her beloved, Bob, willingly took on the role of grandparents.
Finally, she furnished all six members of the family's next generation a glowing example of what it is to "grow old gracefully" and to support one's spouse through thick and thin. She always felt blessed by God, and in turn wanted to be a blessing to others. She will be sorely missed.
Clara is preceded in death by her husband, Robert; and is survived by her three sons, John (Gerda) of Avaray, France; Richard (Malinda) of San Diego, Calif.; and Edwin (Christy) of Christiansburg, Va.; and by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Harriet Jondahl (John) of Haw River, N.C., (five children, Chloe, Jordan, Nathan, Sarah, and Meghan); Miriam Suter (Matthew) of Melbourne, Australia (four children, Rebekah, Liam, Ciaran, and Aoife); and Andrew Whitelaw (Yvonne) of Baltimore, Md. (one child, Zoe).
The family would like to express a deep appreciation and thanks to Mom's caregivers, Carol O'Brien, Ava Bayne and Linda Ruth Schwab, who nourished her both physically and spiritually to the end.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice. Graveside Services will be held 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, 2010, in the Westview Cemetery, Blacksburg, with the Rev. Neal Turner officiating. There will be a visitation from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 10, 2010, at the McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, SW, Blacksburg, Va., 540-552-3211.
The Roanoke Times
9 November 2010
She lived with her grandparents after her father's death from tuberculosis and during her mother's decline from the same disease. After her mother's death, Clara and her brother and sister received an excellent upbringing in the Baptist Children's Home in the Nashville area. Clara had fond memories of her surrogate parents and classmates there and went back for reunions even into her eighties.
Thanks to her academic achievements in high school, Clara was awarded a scholarship to attend the Tennessee College for Women (now Belmont University), where she was active in sports, and earned a degree in English Literature.
After graduation she held a position in Nashville as administrative assistant to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In church one Sunday, she met Robert, a young Canadian engineer visiting in the area on business for the British government. After a few dates, it became clear to the two of them that they were meant to be together, and indeed they spent the next 66 years as partners in the rearing of their three sons and in the furtherance of their mutually-held Christian faith.
Immediately after their wedding in October of 1942, Clara was thrust into the difficult situation, endured by many young wives of the time, of keeping the home fires burning while her new husband was involved in the war effort.
By mid-1950, she was the mother of three young boys, and had the full-time job of economically managing a household and of supporting her sons in the task of growing into productive citizens and loving Christians. This task she performed worthily, herself providing an example of Christian service by teaching Sunday School and singing in the church choir.
Later, when daughters-in-law entered the picture--her long-awaited girls--Clara tactfully initiated them into the arts of fitting into the Whitelaw clan. As grandchildren arrived, she and her beloved, Bob, willingly took on the role of grandparents.
Finally, she furnished all six members of the family's next generation a glowing example of what it is to "grow old gracefully" and to support one's spouse through thick and thin. She always felt blessed by God, and in turn wanted to be a blessing to others. She will be sorely missed.
Clara is preceded in death by her husband, Robert; and is survived by her three sons, John (Gerda) of Avaray, France; Richard (Malinda) of San Diego, Calif.; and Edwin (Christy) of Christiansburg, Va.; and by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Harriet Jondahl (John) of Haw River, N.C., (five children, Chloe, Jordan, Nathan, Sarah, and Meghan); Miriam Suter (Matthew) of Melbourne, Australia (four children, Rebekah, Liam, Ciaran, and Aoife); and Andrew Whitelaw (Yvonne) of Baltimore, Md. (one child, Zoe).
The family would like to express a deep appreciation and thanks to Mom's caregivers, Carol O'Brien, Ava Bayne and Linda Ruth Schwab, who nourished her both physically and spiritually to the end.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice. Graveside Services will be held 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, 2010, in the Westview Cemetery, Blacksburg, with the Rev. Neal Turner officiating. There will be a visitation from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 10, 2010, at the McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, SW, Blacksburg, Va., 540-552-3211.
The Roanoke Times
9 November 2010
Clara Harper Whitelaw died peacefully on Monday, November 8, 2010, at her home in Blacksburg, Va. Clara was born on July 3, 1917, in Lafayette, Tenn., the second of the three children of Dora and Walter Harper.
She lived with her grandparents after her father's death from tuberculosis and during her mother's decline from the same disease. After her mother's death, Clara and her brother and sister received an excellent upbringing in the Baptist Children's Home in the Nashville area. Clara had fond memories of her surrogate parents and classmates there and went back for reunions even into her eighties.
Thanks to her academic achievements in high school, Clara was awarded a scholarship to attend the Tennessee College for Women (now Belmont University), where she was active in sports, and earned a degree in English Literature.
After graduation she held a position in Nashville as administrative assistant to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In church one Sunday, she met Robert, a young Canadian engineer visiting in the area on business for the British government. After a few dates, it became clear to the two of them that they were meant to be together, and indeed they spent the next 66 years as partners in the rearing of their three sons and in the furtherance of their mutually-held Christian faith.
Immediately after their wedding in October of 1942, Clara was thrust into the difficult situation, endured by many young wives of the time, of keeping the home fires burning while her new husband was involved in the war effort.
By mid-1950, she was the mother of three young boys, and had the full-time job of economically managing a household and of supporting her sons in the task of growing into productive citizens and loving Christians. This task she performed worthily, herself providing an example of Christian service by teaching Sunday School and singing in the church choir.
Later, when daughters-in-law entered the picture--her long-awaited girls--Clara tactfully initiated them into the arts of fitting into the Whitelaw clan. As grandchildren arrived, she and her beloved, Bob, willingly took on the role of grandparents.
Finally, she furnished all six members of the family's next generation a glowing example of what it is to "grow old gracefully" and to support one's spouse through thick and thin. She always felt blessed by God, and in turn wanted to be a blessing to others. She will be sorely missed.
Clara is preceded in death by her husband, Robert; and is survived by her three sons, John (Gerda) of Avaray, France; Richard (Malinda) of San Diego, Calif.; and Edwin (Christy) of Christiansburg, Va.; and by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Harriet Jondahl (John) of Haw River, N.C., (five children, Chloe, Jordan, Nathan, Sarah, and Meghan); Miriam Suter (Matthew) of Melbourne, Australia (four children, Rebekah, Liam, Ciaran, and Aoife); and Andrew Whitelaw (Yvonne) of Baltimore, Md. (one child, Zoe).
The family would like to express a deep appreciation and thanks to Mom's caregivers, Carol O'Brien, Ava Bayne and Linda Ruth Schwab, who nourished her both physically and spiritually to the end.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice. Graveside Services will be held 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, 2010, in the Westview Cemetery, Blacksburg, with the Rev. Neal Turner officiating. There will be a visitation from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 10, 2010, at the McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, SW, Blacksburg, Va., 540-552-3211.
The Roanoke Times
9 November 2010
She lived with her grandparents after her father's death from tuberculosis and during her mother's decline from the same disease. After her mother's death, Clara and her brother and sister received an excellent upbringing in the Baptist Children's Home in the Nashville area. Clara had fond memories of her surrogate parents and classmates there and went back for reunions even into her eighties.
Thanks to her academic achievements in high school, Clara was awarded a scholarship to attend the Tennessee College for Women (now Belmont University), where she was active in sports, and earned a degree in English Literature.
After graduation she held a position in Nashville as administrative assistant to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In church one Sunday, she met Robert, a young Canadian engineer visiting in the area on business for the British government. After a few dates, it became clear to the two of them that they were meant to be together, and indeed they spent the next 66 years as partners in the rearing of their three sons and in the furtherance of their mutually-held Christian faith.
Immediately after their wedding in October of 1942, Clara was thrust into the difficult situation, endured by many young wives of the time, of keeping the home fires burning while her new husband was involved in the war effort.
By mid-1950, she was the mother of three young boys, and had the full-time job of economically managing a household and of supporting her sons in the task of growing into productive citizens and loving Christians. This task she performed worthily, herself providing an example of Christian service by teaching Sunday School and singing in the church choir.
Later, when daughters-in-law entered the picture--her long-awaited girls--Clara tactfully initiated them into the arts of fitting into the Whitelaw clan. As grandchildren arrived, she and her beloved, Bob, willingly took on the role of grandparents.
Finally, she furnished all six members of the family's next generation a glowing example of what it is to "grow old gracefully" and to support one's spouse through thick and thin. She always felt blessed by God, and in turn wanted to be a blessing to others. She will be sorely missed.
Clara is preceded in death by her husband, Robert; and is survived by her three sons, John (Gerda) of Avaray, France; Richard (Malinda) of San Diego, Calif.; and Edwin (Christy) of Christiansburg, Va.; and by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Harriet Jondahl (John) of Haw River, N.C., (five children, Chloe, Jordan, Nathan, Sarah, and Meghan); Miriam Suter (Matthew) of Melbourne, Australia (four children, Rebekah, Liam, Ciaran, and Aoife); and Andrew Whitelaw (Yvonne) of Baltimore, Md. (one child, Zoe).
The family would like to express a deep appreciation and thanks to Mom's caregivers, Carol O'Brien, Ava Bayne and Linda Ruth Schwab, who nourished her both physically and spiritually to the end.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice. Graveside Services will be held 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, 2010, in the Westview Cemetery, Blacksburg, with the Rev. Neal Turner officiating. There will be a visitation from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 10, 2010, at the McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, SW, Blacksburg, Va., 540-552-3211.
The Roanoke Times
9 November 2010
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