Clara Jo Dyche Kleine passed away on June 30, 2022, in San Angelo, Texas, surrounded by her loving and adoring children.

Clara Jo was the only surviving child of Erwin and Olive Dyche. Clara Jo (or C.J. as some liked to call her) was named after her grandfather, Clarence, and her grandmother, Josephine. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Republic (DAR) through her ancestor, Isaac DuBose. She was a long time member of the First Methodist Church/First United Methodist Church in Fort Stockton, Texas.

Clara Jo was born in Alpine, Texas, in 1930. She attended a partial year of first grade in San Angelo when her mother attended beauty school. She was raised in Fort Stockton where she lived on a farm worked by her father during his life. Upon her high school graduation from Fort Stockton in 1948, Clara Jo obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and then a Master of Education from Sul Ross State University in 1972.

Clara Jo began teaching bookkeeping at the high school level and sixth grade English in Evant, Texas. After returning to Fort Stockton, Clara Jo worked as a secretary for an attorney, Mr. Bullock.  A short time later she obtained a position teaching high school business with Fort Stockton ISD. She went on to teach second grade for many years at Comanche Elementary in Fort Stockton, as well as fourth grade. In 1989, Clara Jo retired from education with a total of 30 years of Texas teaching, 29 of those at Fort Stockton ISD.

In 1953, Clara Jo met Ed Kleine at a volleyball game for young singles. They were married in June 1954. After living in several locales while Ed worked on a seismograph crew, they moved to Sulphur, La. In the next five years she had four lovely, bright, funny children. They moved to Fort Stockton where the children were raised and attended Fort Stockton schools. After 38 years of marriage, Clara Jo and Ed were divorced, but remained close friends until his death in 2012.

Clara Jo moved with her son, Greg, to San Angelo in 2008. Although Linda, Carmen, and Ricky along with their families helped with Clara Jo’s care (for which she always said thank you) as much as possible, Greg was her primary caregiver, taking care of her daily. Thanks to Greg, she was able to stay at home until her passing. Greg, we will always appreciate the loving care and dedication that you showed our Mom all these years.

Our Mom was extremely proud of her four children who were born within five years of each other - Linda, Carmen, Ricky, and Greg. She was a loving, supportive, and proud mom who raised us to be independent, but was always willing to help us whenever we needed her.

She loved her son-in-laws Aaron and Cris as well as her daughter-in-law Tammy. Grandma, as she was known, adored her seven grandchildren, Matthew, Justin, Brandi, Ryan, Trevor, Kendra, and Breanna. She enjoyed attending when she could their soccer games, birthday parties, and more, or just helping out. She was a loving great-grandma to Kennedy, Brody, Claire, Carsyn, Harper, Addilynn, Grayson, Mason, Sloan, Elyse, Acie Jane, and another sweet baby due any day.

After the grandkids or great grandkids would come to visit, she would often say, “Our family has been blessed to have such good looking grandkids. Not every family can say that. In fact, all of the kids are nice looking and they’re all smart too.”

Clara Jo had made arrangements to donate her body upon her death to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas, in 2015.

The family will have a Celebration of Life at a future date. In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials/donations be sent to Hospice of San Angelo at westtexasrehab.org.