Clara Elizabeth Stein

Clara Stein passed away in Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree, Colorado, on February 1, 2014. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Tuesday, February 11, at Church of St. Anne, Bismarck, with Rev. Ed Wehner officiating. Burial will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Monday, February 10, at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck, where a vigil/rosary will begin at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. She was born in Mandan, ND, to Peter Vincent Stein and Rose Braxmeyer on September 18, 1919, and grew up on a farm in Crown Butte. With barely an 8th grade education, her beginnings were humble with a lot of hard work. At age 14 when her mother was in Bismarck giving birth to little sister, Angie, Clara was in charge of the household at home, and she did it all ....cooking, baking bread, washing and ironing clothes, and cleaning the house, for her dad and three brothers. When her mother came home after an extended stay because of medical complications, in addition to the housework Clara took over the care of her baby sister. At age 15 she helped an aunt and uncle and their growing family in Mandan, and later cleaned houses for some families in Bismarck. Most of the money she earned she sent home because of tough times on the farm during the depression and drought years. Eventually she was hired to tend bar at the Havana Club in Mandan when she didn't know one drink from another or how to make change. But, again, through hard work she learned every phase of not only the beverage business but the food business as well. Her career on a management level in the food and beverage business spanned many years in several different venues. For 25 years she managed the Havana Club which was one of the first supper clubs to book out-of-state entertainment and where the South American Steak was first introduced to this area. She loved music and was in her element dealing with agents and getting to know and establishing friendships with many of the of musicians. After the sale of the Havana Club she opened her own club, the Gaiety, which was located On the Strip between Bismarck and Mandan. She finished out her career helping open and managing the cocktail lounge at the then new Townhouse, now known as the Kelly Inn, and the piano bars at the Holiday Inn and the Grand Pacific Hotel. Clara was a people person. She loved people, readily made friends, and they in turn loved her. Customers would follow her as she moved from venue to venue. She remembered what regular customers drank and often would have their drink waiting for them as they entered the club and approached the bar. Clara's family could always count on her. While her three brothers served in the military during and shortly after World War II she would send them "spending" money as well as advancing small loans when they separated from the military and transitioned to jobs. When her sister graduated from high school and wanted to go to college, Clara loaned her money for tuition, enabling her to be the first in the family to get a college education. During her retirement, she spent 15 happy winters in Mesa, Arizona, again making new and lasting friends. She played lots of golf and cards, and put her well-honed skills to work for many a happy hour as well as other social occasions. Clara was a member of the North Dakota Beverage Dealers Association and served as treasurer for many years. She sang with the Sweet Adelines, volunteered at the Food Bank, was a member of the Bismarck Republican Women, St. Anne's Catholic Church in Bismarck, and The Church of the Risen Christ in Denver. She is survived by her sister, Angeline Melland, Denver, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and brothers, Leo, Joseph, and Peter.

Clara Elizabeth Stein

September 18, 1919 - February 1, 2014