Clara
Clara Borstad Wilkins
d. December 1, 2011
Clara Borstad Wilkins, born in Faith, MN, as Clara Kortgaard, passed away December 1, 2011, at the Waterford/Touchmark Retirement Community in Spokane, WA. She was a long-time resident of Fargo-Moorhead.
The daughter of Ole and Carrie (Christenson) Kortgaard, Clara was raised in Mahnomen, MN, where she attended school with her sisters, Alice, Gertie, and Myrtle. She went on to graduate with honors from Concordia College in Moorhead where she was Homecoming Queen. After teaching high school in Hankinson, ND, Clara married Arthur O. Borstad and became an active and creative homemaker, raising their three daughters. She was a founding member and a dedicated supporter of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Moorhead. She returned to teaching in the 1960's as a biology lab instructor at Concordia College and enjoyed being a member of Concordia Women's Study Club and C-400, and of PEO.
Clara was preceded in death by her parents; sisters; and, in 1977, by her husband Arthur. In 1999, she married James C. Wilkins of Fergus Falls, MN. They lived at the Waterford/Touchmark in Fargo and moved to the Waterford/Touchmark in Spokane in 2007.
Clara lost her daughter, Kathleen Borstad, to cancer in 2010. She is survived by her husband, James Wilkins of Spokane and Battle Lake, MN; daughters, Karen Borstad and Marcia Smith both of Spokane; grandson, Michael (Stephanie) Smith of Pasadena, CA; granddaughter, Alyssa Smith of Ashland, OR; sister-in-law, Gladys Borstad Callahan of Spokane; and many nieces and nephews.
Clara loved her community of family and friends, entertaining, and providing a gathering place for family celebrations and special events. Hers was a home away from home for her many nieces and nephews who attended Concordia College. She loved summers at the Borstad family cabin on Middle Cormorant Lake, the Wilkins cabin on Battle Lake, and had an always open door for friends and relatives. She inspired her children with a love for the arts and education, and cherished her grandchildren. Clara enjoyed reading, poetry, documenting her children's history with dozens of photo and scrapbooks, and celebrating her Norwegian heritage. She will be greatly missed.
Visitation: Saturday, December 10, 2011, 3 to 5 PM, at Korsmo Funeral Chapel, Moorhead.
Funeral: Sunday, December 11, 2011, at 2 PM, at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead.
Interment: Prairie Home Cemetery, Moorhead.
The daughter of Ole and Carrie (Christenson) Kortgaard, Clara was raised in Mahnomen, MN, where she attended school with her sisters, Alice, Gertie, and Myrtle. She went on to graduate with honors from Concordia College in Moorhead where she was Homecoming Queen. After teaching high school in Hankinson, ND, Clara married Arthur O. Borstad and became an active and creative homemaker, raising their three daughters. She was a founding member and a dedicated supporter of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Moorhead. She returned to teaching in the 1960's as a biology lab instructor at Concordia College and enjoyed being a member of Concordia Women's Study Club and C-400, and of PEO.
Clara was preceded in death by her parents; sisters; and, in 1977, by her husband Arthur. In 1999, she married James C. Wilkins of Fergus Falls, MN. They lived at the Waterford/Touchmark in Fargo and moved to the Waterford/Touchmark in Spokane in 2007.
Clara lost her daughter, Kathleen Borstad, to cancer in 2010. She is survived by her husband, James Wilkins of Spokane and Battle Lake, MN; daughters, Karen Borstad and Marcia Smith both of Spokane; grandson, Michael (Stephanie) Smith of Pasadena, CA; granddaughter, Alyssa Smith of Ashland, OR; sister-in-law, Gladys Borstad Callahan of Spokane; and many nieces and nephews.
Clara loved her community of family and friends, entertaining, and providing a gathering place for family celebrations and special events. Hers was a home away from home for her many nieces and nephews who attended Concordia College. She loved summers at the Borstad family cabin on Middle Cormorant Lake, the Wilkins cabin on Battle Lake, and had an always open door for friends and relatives. She inspired her children with a love for the arts and education, and cherished her grandchildren. Clara enjoyed reading, poetry, documenting her children's history with dozens of photo and scrapbooks, and celebrating her Norwegian heritage. She will be greatly missed.
Visitation: Saturday, December 10, 2011, 3 to 5 PM, at Korsmo Funeral Chapel, Moorhead.
Funeral: Sunday, December 11, 2011, at 2 PM, at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead.
Interment: Prairie Home Cemetery, Moorhead.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Clara Borstad Wilkins, please visit our flower store.
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