Clara Kolkman

Clara Kolkman 92 of Gretna, Nebraska and formerly of Bristol died on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at a Gretna, Nebraska nursing home. Her funeral will be at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Bristol, Rev. Chris Strohm officiating. Burial will be at St. Ansgar Cemetery near Lily. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Monday 5-8 P.M. and prior to services at the church on Tuesday. Clara Helen Kvernevig was born on May 6, 1923 to Bernard and Ida (Althoff) Kvernevig at Crandall, South Dakota. She was raised on a farm eight miles west of Lily, South Dakota. Her family moved to Webster, South Dakota during the depression. She was confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Webster and graduated from Webster High School. After high school, she went to California and was employed as a machinist in the war effort. This started her life-long love affair with California. However, South Dakota was her destiny. During the war she married Lawrence Kolkman on February 9, 1944 at Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was in the Army Air Corps. After the war, they returned to South Dakota where Larry was employed by the CMST P&P Railroad (the Milwaukee Road). His first position at Pierpont, South Dakota and later at Bristol, South Dakota. Clara was a homemaker until she started to work at Sun Dial Manor nursing home in Bristol in 1968 and was employed there for fifteen years. Larry and Clara raised four children; Lawrence H. (Rick), Barbara Jean, Gene David and Robert Duane. Larry passed away in March 1989. After his death she continued to live in Bristol until 1998 when she moved to North Platte, Nebraska to be close to her son, Rick and his family. In 2014 she moved to Gretna, Nebraska to be close to her daughter, Barbara. Clara was always faithful in the Lord and was sustained by his love through many trials. If people were unkind, she said, “I will not hate them and let them deny me access to heaven.” Today she is with the saints and her Lord. Clara passed away on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at Gretna, Nebraska at the age of 92 years, 9 months and 14 days. She is survived by her four children; Lawrence H. “Rick” (DiAnn) Kolkman of Flippin, AR, Barbara Jean (Daniel) Cole of Papillion, NE, Gene David Kolkman of Ellsworth, WI and Robert Duane (Wanda) Kolkman of St. Cloud, MN; one brother, Burton Kvernevig of Crookston, MN; ten grandchildren and nineteen great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and two brothers, Palmer and Rodney Kvernevig.