Clara Vugrin

Clara Vugrin knew well the meaning of hard work. More importantly, however, she knew the meaning of family and spent all of her 80 years providing for and enjoying the people she loved.

Although Clara B. Vugrin entered the world during the 1920s, the depression that followed this golden age meant much of her childhood would be spent working endless hours to provide for her large family. Clara was the second surviving child of eight children and she was born on July 20, 1923. Her parents, Jerry and Lois (Konkle) Kellogg, initially lived in Battle Creek, though they moved their young family north to Howard City so that Jerry could accept work as an interior decorator. Even with this job, money was tight during the depression of 1930s America, meaning Clara and her siblings had to work to support the family. Clara did attend school at Maple Hill country school and had to walk 2 miles to get there, though her summers were spent working as a "migrant worker." Throughout her summers in the Thomsonville area, Clara picked cherries by day and lived in a tent at night.

Though Clara worked hard during her childhood, it was her work that brought her to the man she would later marry. During one of her summers, Clara met a young man who was also working for his family. A romance soon developed between James E. Fishburn and Clara, and their relationship continued into the school year as Clara remained in Thomsonville, living very near the Fishburn family. As times became more demanding, Clara had to leave school to work full time.

By the time World War II began, James had asked Clara to become his wife and they were married on April 7, 1941. The war brought economic renewal to Michigan and the young couple took advantage of the availability of work. They moved to the center of Michigan's economy, Detroit, where James worked on the railroad and Clara became "Rosie the Riveter," working in a factory to produce wartime products. Clara, in fact, worked on building bombers for the United States military. Both James and Clara managed to work steadily throughout the war. Afterward, they took factory jobs in Lansing, eventually moving farther east to settle in Grand Rapids.

James and Clara moved specifically to the northeast side of Grand Rapids, occupying a house on Beechwood Street. Though the young couple had made money during the war, it was still necessary for Clara to assist with the family's income. She found work at Booth Dairy as a waitress, then at General Motors, building jets for the Korean Conflict. During her 30 years at GM, Clara also worked on completing the education that had been cut short by necessity, eventually earning her long awaited high school diploma.

Though much of Clara's life had been devoted to work, creating a family of her own remained her primary focus. She and James had three children: Jerry, Ron, and Kristina. The second son, Ron, had been born with a disability, meaning he required constant care. Ron's siblings, particularly Kristina, felt the weight of this need. Although for somewhat different circumstances, Clara's young children were learning the same lesson she had faced about the combined effort needed to sustain a family. Together, Clara and Kristina spent many hours caring for Ron, who later passed away. It was Ron's presence that had brought mother and daughter together, creating a strong connection out of an otherwise difficult situation. Clara and her husband, James, eventually divorced, but Clara and Kristina's relationship remained strong.

Since Clara had worked since the age of 13, retirement allowed her to do all of the things she had never done. While she continued to work for the benefit of her family, her work now consisted of more enjoyable tasks, like creating wedding dresses for her daughter and granddaughter. Most importantly, retirement allowed her to have fun. Clara traveled to Europe, visiting England, Scotland, and Spain. In fact, she loved traveling so much that she often drove to Arizona by herself to spend the winter months with her cousin. Clara bought her first motorcycle and smashed it up soon after she bought it and then bought another one. She also spent time with her sisters, taking many motorcycle trips to places like Michigan's upper peninsula, Wisconsin, and Iowa. These experiences allowed the sisters to have fun together as they were unable to do as children. They even dressed up in riding clothes that made them look like they were part of the original "Hells Angels." She rode motorcycles until her diabetes got worse. Clara's independent spirit helped her to enjoy herself thoroughly no matter where she was, including her retirement home on Hess Lake in the house that love built. Here, she could sit quietly on the bluff overlooking the lake, a simple pleasure that made this place her favorite. Her favorite hobby was golf and she received a trophy for being the most improved player. Her second favorite hobby was sewing and crocheting which she still did.

Despite the harshness in her life, Clara Vugrin had a strong and positive presence in the world. Though her daughter, Kristina, passed away just 14 days before her, the two women shared a passion for life that can be forever remembered by the people they loved. Clara and Kristina brought joy not only to each other but to the entire family that they had worked tirelessly to preserve.

Mrs. Clara B. (Fishburn) Vugrin aged 80 died Friday February 20, 2004. She was preceded in death by her son Ronald Fishburn and her daughter Kristina Smith who passed away February 6, 2004. Clara’s family includes her son and daughter-in-law Jerry and Barbara Fishburn, her grandchildren: Jerry Jr. and Elizabeth Fishburn, Terry Fishburn, Pamela Nowakowski, Paul, Jared and Jordan Smith, 4 great grandchildren Hunter, Garret, Rileigh and Kaelie, her sisters and brothers-in-law: Ruth Gannon, Gwen and Frank Barrett, Judy and Dan Pikaart, her brother and sister-in-law Arthur and Minnie Kellogg and nieces and nephews. A combined funeral and committal service for Clara and her daughter Kristina Smith will be held Monday at 2 P.M. at the Van Strien – Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield N.E. Interment will follow in Plainfield Township Cemetery. For those who wish, memorial contributions to DeVos Children's Hospital would be appreciated. Friends may meet her family at the funeral home on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Please visit Clara’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read her life story, share a memory, sign the register book, or make a memorial contribution on line.