Sister Clarus Strouth -- Rochester
Sister Clarus Strouth, 98, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, died at Assisi Heights Aug. 26, 2018.
Laura Barbara Strouth was born Sept. 26, 1919, in Faribault, to Michael and Clare (Eschweiler) Strouth. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1942 from St. Lawrence Parish in Faribault. Sister Clarus made first vows in 1945 and perpetual vows in 1948. She received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, in 1942, a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1951, and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1962 from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
Sister Clarus taught mathematics at St. Mary High School in Portsmouth, Ohio, for three years before beginning studies leading to a master’s in chemistry. She taught in the chemistry department at the College of St. Teresa for 21 years, during which time she obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry. In 1976, Sister Clarus completed the Licensed Practical Nurse program at Saint Marys School of Nursing, Rochester. She worked as a LPN at Saint Marys Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Rochester and at St. Anne’s Hospice in Winona. After retiring from nursing, she volunteered as secretarial support to various offices at Assisi Heights and provided child care and house sitting in the Rochester area until 2005.
Sister Clarus is survived by her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared life for 76 years; a sister-in-law, Barbara Strouth of Boise, Idaho; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Ralph, Vincent, Joseph and Bernard; and a sister, Marion Strouth Rose.
An evening prayer vigil with sharing of memories will be at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3, in the chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes at Assisi Heights. The funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, in Lourdes Chapel. Visitation one hour prior. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery, Rochester.
Memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St. Francis, Office of Mission Advancement, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901.