Clara M. Buellesbach was born in Chicago, Illinois to F. William and Ellen Peters Morf; she was the eldest of four siblings.  Her father moved the family to California soon after World War II and she made the Golden State her home for the remainder of her life.  Clara graduated from The Bishop's School in the City of La Jolla and from the University of California, Santa Barbara.  She moved to the Bay Area in the late 1950s and married Richard E. Buellesbach in 1964.  She served as a middle school teacher for more than 40 years with the majority of her career teaching at Samuel Curtis Rogers Middle School.  As so many teachers do, Clara influenced many young people in their formative years and provided not only academic lessons, but lessons borne of life experience, that her students carried with them throughout their lives.  It was not uncommon in her retirement for a former student to recognize her and say, "Mrs. B. you probably don't remember me but you were my seventh grade English teacher 30 years ago and I still remember your class."  But Clara always did remember her former students and enjoyed seeing them as prosperous adults; and she still had parting advice for them.

In addition to her career in education, she was an avid equestrian and fancier of Great Danes. She was active in the North American Trail Ride Conference and the Great Dane Club of Northern California.

Clara will be remembered for her strong will and compassion for friends and family. She will be missed.  She is survived by her only son, Mitchell, her sister Catherine Langston and her brother David Morf.

In-lieu-of flowers please consider donating to the Disabled Veterans of America.