Klara K. Hansberger

1921 - 2023

Klara K. Hansberger
September 27, 1921 - January 15, 2023
Boise, Idaho - Klara K. Hansberger passed away peacefully at home on January 15, 2023, at the age of 101. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert V. Hansberger; her parents Clarence and Mabel Kille; sister Orpha Gilbertson; and brother Elmer Kille.
Born on September 27, 1921, in Luverne, Minnesota, Klara was raised on the family farm during the Great Depression. Her early education took place in a one room schoolhouse where younger children learned alongside older students.
She attended Worthington (Minnesota) Junior College, receiving an Associate of Arts degree in 1941. She then attended the University of Minnesota, where she met Bob Hansberger in a shared German language class. They married March 27, 1942, in Pipestone, Minnesota, on their way back to school after spring break. Klara graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Education.
Upon graduation in 1942, Bob and Klara moved to Washington, D.C., where Bob for three years served with the Naval Ordinance Research Laboratory. During that time, Klara worked at the Naval Ordinance Library. They then moved to Boston where Klara was employed by the Baker Library at the Harvard Business School, while Bob finished his MBA degree.
In 1947 they moved to Chicago when Bob joined Container Corp of America. Klara fondly remembered these happy years. They had two daughters; Roberta (Bobbi) and Carol. She enjoyed growing flowers and vegetables in their Victory Garden, playing bridge, dancing and socializing with friends, and raising their children.
In 1954 Bob and Klara moved to Portland, Oregon where they lived a short but eventful time. Klara contracted a serious case of polio just before the release of the newly developed Salk vaccine. Klara was fortunate to recover slowly but fully. In 1957, Bob was offered the presidency of the Payette Lumber Company. In mid-1957, Bob and the company's board moved to merge that company with the Cascade Lumber Company, thereby forming Boise Cascade Corporation.
Klara and Bob moved to Boise, purchasing a home on Harrison Boulevard, where they would live for the next 60 years-although Klara always insisted that the move was temporary.
Soon committed to the growth and development of the Boise community, Klara served in many leadership positions. She was president of the Boise Art Museum, the St. Luke's Auxiliary, and the Boise Assistance League (charter member). She was treasurer of the State Board of the American Association of University Women. She served on the board of the Children's Home Society and of the Boise Philharmonic and also served on the Advisory Committee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She was selected as a Distinguished Citizen by the Idaho Statesman in 1985.
Klara was a believer in the power of education. A life-long student of history, she maintained that a well-educated and knowledgeable citizenry is essential to a thriving democracy. She joined the Board of Trustees of the College of Idaho in 1979 and served two terms. She believed that the College of Idaho was especially important to the State of Idaho, offering a broad liberal arts education and an excellent faculty-to-student ratio.
During her time on the board, the College of Idaho fell into financial trouble and was on the verge of being sold to foreign investors. Klara felt her involvement in saving the College to be her greatest accomplishment. In 1985 the College awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Law.
Loyalty and determination were her strongest qualities. Klara was passionate about her family and supportive of their effort to pursue their own goals. Her friendships were deep and she was committed to them. She especially enjoyed the women of the Boise Garden Club, PEO Chapter A, as well as Women in Finance. She loved playing cribbage and bridge. She was an intrepid rock hound. She was a collector of indigenous art and enjoyed world-wide travel.
Klara and Bob also spent precious hours at their cabin in McCall, cherishing times when grandchildren were able to visit. They picked huckleberries, baked wonderful pies, hunted morels-and simply relaxed.
Klara is survived by her daughters Roberta (Bobbi) Hansberger and Carol Lloyd, by her grandchildren Margaux Reed (Ryan), Anne Kealey (Harris) and Robert Lloyd, as well as by her great-grandchildren Beatrix and Larz Reed, Klara and Pierce Kealey.
The family wishes to thank the Touchmark home health caregivers and the Keystone hospice teams for their competent and compassionate care.
In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions may be made to the Klara Hansberger Endowed Scholarship at the College of Idaho or to a favorite charity.
A celebration of Klara's life will be held at a later date. Please contact Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel or the family for more information.