Remembering Clara

In late April, we said goodbye to a dear friend who lived at Imagine!’s Foothills Group Home.

Clara Genner, 94, died peacefully in her sleep, and her roommates and care givers at Foothills put together some thoughts to reflect on Clara’s well lived life.

Tavio (roommate): I miss her. She’ll be good up in heaven with God. She is up there with the angels and probably thinking about us. 

Aneta (roommate): I miss her. She always seemed to care about everybody else.

Barbara (roommate): She was a very good person. 

Sarah (care giver): It was truly amazing for me to see all of the people who cared about and loved Clara come together at the end of her life to support and honor her. She impacted so many lives. One of my favorite memories of Clara was when she told me about peeling potatoes at the restaurant she used to work at. I’d never heard her talk about this before. She was the first person with a disability to be hired by a Longmont employer, which is written on an old newspaper clipping in her bedroom. What an inspiration! I miss her curiosity about others. She always asked me about my living situation and my family by saying: “do you live by yourself?” and “do you have a mommy and daddy?”. She warmed my heart when she would call me “honey” and tell me that she loved me. She had such a big heart and so much love to share with this world. She was always so strong and stayed that way all the way to the end. She will be dearly missed. Rest in peace Clara “Darling Rose” Genner.

Chelsea (care giver): She was loved by all seven of her roommates. She’s been with Imagine! for a long time. She loved dogs. She loved asking people about their dogs, kittens, and children. Her favorite color was pink. She was really active in her church, she believed in God and Jesus. She was a lovely human, feisty, genuine. She was just so deeply cared about, and she so deeply cared about other people.

We gathered as a house for a "Celebration of Clara’s Life." We shared fond memories from the most joyous to hard times as well. We shared what Clara has taught us about life. We all laughed when we remembered how thoroughly she enjoyed her gummy fruit snacks. All staff agreed that Clara has taught us about patience. She taught us the importance of speaking your mind and saying exactly what it is that you want/need. She was a teacher to us all.