Rev. Clair Jerome Schwalm

Rev. Clair Jerome Schwalm, 87, of Fargo, North Dakota, passed away on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at Sanford Hospice House in Fargo.

Clair was born on July 6, 1938, in Midland, South Dakota, to Fred and Malinda (Dale) Schwalm. He was raised in the Rapid City area and graduated from Rapid City High School in 1956. During his high school years, he worked for the Rapid City Journal newspaper.

In 1958, Clair married Arlene DeJong. Together they had five children.

Clair pursued his calling to ministry by attending the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for two years, followed by Augsburg College, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He then attended Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was ordained in 1967 in Leonard, North Dakota. He served there for three years before working with the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement, traveling extensively throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and Canada. In 1973, Clair accepted a call to Glyndon Lutheran Church, where he served until 1980. In 1982, he accepted a call to Manvel, North Dakota, serving two congregations.

In 1983, Clair married Virginia (VanOrsdale) Stenerson in the country church in Manvel where he was serving. They lived in Pennsylvania for twelve years, where they were active members of a home church. In 2003, they retired and moved to a property near Park Rapids, Minnesota, where they lived until 2017. They then moved to Dilworth, Minnesota, and spent several winters in SanTan Valley, Arizona. In 2024, they moved to Touchmark at Harwood Groves.

Clair deeply enjoyed visiting with people and spending time outdoors. He was especially known for sitting outside on the driveway, waiting for passersby to stop and talk, affectionately referring to this time as his "Garage Apron Ministry."

On October 2, 2025, Clair suffered a stroke and remained hospitalized and in hospice care until his passing.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Clair is survived by his wife of 42 years, Virginia; his children, Rebekah (Dan) Nelson of Rockwall, Texas; Debra (Michael) Beckett of Barnesville, Minnesota; Philip (Barb) Schwalm of Owasso, Oklahoma; Miriam (Brian) Hermes of Osseo, Minnesota; and Gloria (Tom) Devine of Springfield, Tennessee; his sister, Karen Taylor of Aurora, Colorado; and his stepchildren, Jon (Beth) Stenerson of Las Cruces, New Mexico; Nancy (Tony) Gonzales of San Diego, California; and Kristin (Doug) Johnson of Glyndon, Minnesota. Together, Clair and Virginia were blessed with seventeen grandchildren, twenty-eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Memorials are preferred to Sanford Hospice House in Fargo, North Dakota.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 Pm on Saturday, Janary 24, 2026 at Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home, Fargo, with a visitation one hour prior.

Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Moorhead, Minnesota.