Elaine A. Clark, age 81 of Oak Grove, passed away peacefully under the care of hospice, on Monday, May 4, 2020 at home.

Elaine was born on May 26, 1938 to Joseph and Celia Koczur on the family farm in Holdingford, MN.  She grew up on the farm and attended school in Upsala.  She graduated high school in 1956 and attended the University of Minnesota, earning her Bachelor's degree in Physical Education.

She started her teaching career in Upsala and Marshall, and ended teaching for the Anoka-Hennepin School District for over 20 years.  Elaine met Denny in 1966 when he was teaching in Upsala and they married on June 7, 1969, spending 50 wonderful years together.  After spending a short time in Moorhead and Minneapolis, they settled in Brooklyn Park where they raised their children.  Once their children were grown, they built their dream home in Oak Grove where they have enjoyed their retirement.  During their time together, they enjoyed fishing, camping, golfing, motorcycle rides, and traveling.  They were both part of the North Suburban Concert Band (in which Elaine was part of the percussion section) for more than 25 years.  She also enjoyed reading, sewing, crocheting, crafting, floral arranging, cooking, baking, watching sports, and spending time with family.

Her greatest love of all was her grandsons and watching their sporting events.  She was intensely proud of them.  You would find her at the sidelines of many hockey and baseball games and swim meets.  She was quick to let others know at those events that she used to be a phy-ed teacher and she would try to give her grandsons' teammates pointers on how to improve their sporting skills.

Elaine was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Oak Grove and volunteered where she could with various church groups.  During her retirement, she was an avid crocheter and donated numerous blankets that she made to the church.

Elaine battled many health challenges over the years that she faced head-on.  She had rheumatoid arthritis, a few joint replacements, lymphoma, and she had a leg amputated 11 years ago, which ultimately put her in a wheelchair.  Those ailments couldn't keep her down for very long though.  The last few years of her life, she also experienced some dementia.  Ultimately, her lymphoma returned and the dementia worsened, which put her in hospice care.

In addition to her parents, Elaine was preceded in death by her brother, Roman.  She is survived by her husband, Dennis; daughter, Kathy (Chad) Stangeland; son, Steve (Michelle); grandsons, Dillon and Brendan Stangeland, Nathan and Andrew Clark; siblings, Eugene (Helen), Renee (Jerome) Beddow, Al (Nancy), Jim (Mary), and Connie Tufte; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will held on Tuesday (4/20/2021) at 11 AM at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 19921 Nightingale St NW, Oak Grove, MN 55011 followed by the interment at St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery.

Arrangements entrusted to Thurston-DeShaw Funeral Home of Andover (763) 767-7373