Klara Erling

Erling, Klara

Klara Erling, 91, affectionally known as "Omi", passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, April 14, 2024. Klara was born in Brestowatz, Yugoslavia on March 24, 1933. At a young age her family moved to Munich, Germany, a place she always held close to her heart. Growing up in Munich during World War II made a deep and lasting impression on her. She often shared stories of those times which shaped her life and made her fiercely independent and resilient.

At the age of 18, she and her family immigrated to the United States eventually coming to Dayton, Ohio. Here she married her husband, Erwin. Together they built their forever home and raised their children instilling in them strong family values and work ethic. Klara worked as a seamstress for several businesses and retired from Grandview Hospital after 20 plus years of service. She was a long-time member of the German Club Edelweiss, where she became known for her homemade sauerkraut. Klara loved watching her flowers/specimens grow and shared that working in soil was her therapy. She enjoyed traveling back to her Germany to visit family and friends. Klara was a determined and caring woman who loved her family deeply. She will continue to be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her.

She is survived by her loving family, daughter Liz (Rick) Kempfer, her son Karl (Jeannie) Erling; grandchildren Stefanie (Chris) Collier, Laura (Jayson) Stenbakken, Ean, Keira and Neala Erling; great grandchildren Luke and Claire Collier, Samuel Stenbakken; brother Joseph (Katherine) Patzek and numerous family members in Germany. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 55 years, Erwin Erling and her parents Adam and Magdalena Patzek.

In honor of her memory please plant a flower, bush or tree and watch it bloom and grow.

"Leg Alles Still in Gotteshande: das Gluck, den Schmerz, den Anfang und das Ende."

"Lay everything in God's hands: The Happiness, the Pain, the Beginning and the End."