Obituary of Klara B. Opsal

Klara Benson Opsal, 88 of Pennsville, NJ went home to be with the Lord on May 26, 2012. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, daughter of the late Frederick and Natalie (Edwardsen) Benson. She was the eldest of three children and during her childhood she lived in New Jersey, New York, Minnesota and Norway. She was preceded in death by her husband Rev. James Ingvald, sons Paul and James, brother Bernt Benson and brother-in-law Dr. Bernt Opsal. Klara is survived by two daughters and two son-in-laws, Gloria and Dan Congleton of Pennsville, NJ and Sharon and Harry Beiser of Port St. Lucie, FL; two sons and three daughter-in-laws, Steven and Carol Opsal of Bakersfield, CA, Philip and Debbie Opsal of Forrest, VA and Bonnie Opsal of Bethel Park, PA; grandchildren, Erika Opsal (Daniel Hawk), Gregory Opsal, Andrew (Nicole) Congleton, Pam Congleton (Chris McClincy), Tim Opsal, Jeff Opsal, Jessica (Jamie) Mormando, Alexandra Opsal, Christopher (Rachael) Beiser, and Erik Beiser (Nicole Costello); two great grandchildren, Camden Beiser and Daniel Hawk III; a sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Kjell Rosseland; two sister-in-laws, Esther Benson and Shirley Opsal; and many nieces and nephews. Klara graduated from Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing as a RN. She worked at Fairview Lutheran Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Eger Nursing Home in Staten Island, NY; Woodcliff Lake Nursing Home in Woodcliff Lake, NJ and as a private duty nurse in Pittsburgh, PA. Klara loved the Lord and was dedicated to her husband's 35 years of ministry which included congregations in Worchester, Mass; Brooklyn, NY; Woodcliff Lake, NJ; Brentwood, PA; Freeport, Bahamas and Staten Island, NY. For the past 25 years, Klara had been an active member of the Lutheran Church of Saint Ambrose in Pennsville, NJ where she sang in the church choir and was a member of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Klara enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, singing and playing her mandolin, going to the beach and camping. She was the matriarch of her family and will be deeply missed by her family and friends. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lutheran Church of Saint Ambrose in Pennsville, NJ. Funeral services will be held 10:00 AM Thursday May 31, at the Lutheran Church of Saint Ambrose, Pennsville. Friends may call Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the Laughrey Funeral Home, Pennsville and also from 9:00 to 10:00 AM on Thursday at the church prior to the service. Burial will follow at 3:00 PM at the Restland Memorial Park, East Hanover, NJ.