Clarabelle “Clara” A. Hohnstein

Clarabelle “Clara” A. Hohnstein

November 30, 1930-August 1, 2025

Clara Hohnstein passed away peacefully after a very short illness with her family close by at the Lighthouse care facility in Omaha, NE.

Clara was born on a farm between Bennet and Hickman, NE on November 30, 1930, to Louis and Alma (Retzlaff) Baade. She graduated high school from Bennet in 1948, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education from the  University of Nebraska in 1954. Clara taught for a short time while getting her degree in Cozad, NE and later in Lincoln, NE after graduating. She met the love of her life early in 1955 in Lincoln and following a whirlwind romance married Robert Hohnstein in Walton, NE on June 12, 1955. After moving frequently early on they settled in Hastings, NE in 1968 to raise their two sons, Peter and Michael. She deeply loved and was immensely proud of her family and left the teaching profession shortly after her sons were born to devote her life to her family.  After Bob’s retirement in  1995 they moved to Goodyear, AZ where Clara lived for 20 years. In 2015, she returned to Omaha to be closer to her sons and remaining family.

Clara enjoyed playing  bridge with family and friends. Her hobbies were varied from rock collecting to antiques and cut glass. In the late 1980s she was the Central District Director of the American Cut Glass Association. Clara’s greatest love though was in the crafts and artwork she created. She began painting with oils on canvas and later got interested in decorative art with acrylic paints applied to variety of surfaces from wood to ostrich eggs. Later in life she took a class from Elliott Everson, a premier teacher of oil colored pencil painting, and created many of her best pieces of artwork from this medium. She shared her love of art by herself teaching classes to many friends in both Arizona and Omaha.

Clara was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; parents, Louis and Alma Baade; sisters, Noreen Benjamin, Velma Thompson, and most recently, Emily Bellinghiere.

She is survived by her sons, Peter (Deborah) Hohnstein and Michael(Renae) Hohnstein; grandchildren: Ben Hohnstein (Amy), Katie Ramos(Jake), Lauren Hasbrouck (Shane), Nathan Hohnstein, Tayler Heidt (Bruce); great-grandchildren: Samantha and Lincoln Ramos, Harper/Emmerson/Finley Hasbrouck, Theo/Hazel/Ollie Heidt; and a brother, Don Baade.

A Private Family Burial will be held in Harvard, Nebraska, at a later date.

Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler, West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha, Ne 68124. (402)-391-3900. www.heafeyheafey.com