Clara May Deis

A dear wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend of many was lost on August 9, 2023. Margie was born on May 20, 1926, in Fresno, CA. Her father Clarence Engle was from Kansas, and her mother, Catherine Boss, was a German immigrant from Russia in 1906. She spent her early years in Caruthers, CA and graduated from Caruthers High School in 1944. She married Christian Deis on May 11, 1946, a marriage which lasted almost 65 years until her husband’s death in 2011. Together they raised their two sons, Richard and Gary. Margie worked at the Gottschalks Department Store and Knudsen Dairy in Fresno before retiring. Margie was active in the Edison Social Club and the Twilight Haven Guild and was a member of American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. She attended the Cross Church and later the Heartland Community Church where she had lifelong friends. Margie is survived by Richard and wife Marian of Sacramento, Gary and wife Joanie of Truckee, three grandchildren; Megan Bohnet and husband Jeff of Truckee, Adam Deis and Maria Paz Peña Lorca of Seattle, WA and Kristen Deis and Brannon Johnson of Seaside, CA; and (almost) four great-grandchildren, Alison and Johnathan Bohnet, Saylor Johnson, and a new baby boy due in October. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law Marian Deis and Edna Farrel of Fresno, and many nieces and nephews. She spent her last years at The Windham, a senior living community, where she made close friends with residents and staff. She loved to follow San Francisco Giants baseball and her daily soap operas, but her primary focus and joy came from her family, who will miss her deeply.

Visitation will be held on Thursday August 17 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at Stephens and Bean Chapel located at 202 N Teilman Ave, Fresno, CA. Funeral services will be held Friday August 18 at Stephens and Bean Chapel at noon, with interment to follow at Belmont Memorial. Family and friends are encouraged to share stories about Margie during the funeral. Guests are invited to join the family for a lunch reception following the services.

A visitation for Clara will be held Thursday, August 17, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel, 202 North Teilman, Fresno, CA 93706. A funeral service will occur Friday, August 18, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, 202 North Teilman, Fresno, CA 93706. A Committal Service will occur Friday, August 18, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Belmont Memorial Park, 201 N Teilman Ave, Fresno, CA 93706. A Reception will occur Friday, August 18, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Piazza Del Pane, 8340 W. Cedar Ave, Fresno, CA 93720.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stephensandbean.com for the Deis family.

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