Obituary of Clara Vogel

Clara Genevieve (McCarthy) Vogel, age 99, was welcomed into Heaven on January 18th, 2024 by many loved ones gone before. She was a loving and spirited mother, wife, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. Clara cared deeply for her family and was a woman of strong faith. Her positive attitude and sense of humor delighted those around her and kept her young at heart.

Born in Cooksville, WI on December 3rd, 1924, to Charles and Mary (Farberg) McCarthy, Clara was one of nine children. Though challenged by poor health in her early years, and having miraculously survived both polio and meningitis, she fully recovered and later enjoyed reminiscing about her mischievous ways and daredevil play on the family farm.

After graduating high school Clara went on to become a telephone operator, and enjoyed life in Dubuque, IA, before eventually marrying Albin Vogel on June 27th, 1952 at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Stoughton and settling in Jefferson. It was there Clara focused her efforts on raising the couple’s three children and helping to run the family’s well drilling business.

Throughout the years Clara enjoyed spending time with family, hosting parties, volunteering with Christian Mothers at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, cooking, going on gambling trips with friends, shopping, family vacations to Wisconsin Dells, and keeping up with her reality TV shows. She especially loved thrift shopping, and when asked about her purchases she always joked they came from Macy’s.

Clara lived independently until two years ago when she moved to The View in Johnson Creek. Though a challenge to her fiercely independent nature, in typical fashion she embraced the change and immediately began attending every social activity offered. She was a true optimist and social butterfly, and she thrived with additional enrichment and care.

Clara is survived by her three children, Mary Salmon, Terry (Ron) Kreklow, and Mike Vogel, all of Jefferson, four grandchildren, Amanda (Ben) Crabtree, Ryan (Courtney) Kreklow, Megan (J.R.) Westberg, and Melissa (James) Etie, and four great-grandchildren, Andre and Cora Crabtree and Nolan and Jack Etie. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, three brothers, Charles, Bob, and Jerry, five sisters, Margaret, Alice, Kathryn, Eileen and Mildred, and son-in-law Jim Salmon.

A service to celebrate Clara’s life will be held at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Jefferson, WI on Thursday, January 25th at 11am. The family will greet friends at the church starting at 10am.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Clara’s name to St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jefferson and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The family wishes to thank The View, Rainbow Hospice, and all caregivers who assisted Clara in recent years.