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John died suddenly of heart failure on August 17, 2011. He was at his church hanging posters for an event. Several of our classmates were at his funeral (Terry Stratton, Bob Haskin and Lynn Larson). He was excited about having recently moved back to Minnesota, and to be on our reunion planning committee. At the 45th reunion he surprised us with copies of the Mah-Quh, for which he was the editor, dated June 5, 1963, the date we graduated.
John's obituary follows.
Clawson, John T. 66, of Minneapolis, died suddenly August 17, 2011. The oldest of five boys, he was born on August 7, 1945 to Eugene W. and Lila L. (Christensen) Clawson in St. Paul, MN. Raised in Bloomington, he graduated in 1963 from Bloomington High School, then went on to study Classical Languages, American History and Theology at Augsburg College. Following his 1967 graduation, he began studies for an M.Div. at Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Paul. During his years there, he interned at Hazelden treatment facility in Center City, MN. Following seminary, he was ordained at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Bloomington, served as a chaplain at Hazelden, and served his first congregations, First Lutheran in Harris, and Calvary Lutheran in Stanchfield. While serving as a parish pastor and chaplain, he made a successful DFL bid for the District 19 seat in the Minnesota legislature, where he served from 1974 to 1984. His legislative record included a focus on human services, landmark reform of the state's Civil Commitment laws and the creation of the Minnesota Appellate Court. In 1984 he was named Assistant Commissioner of the MN Department of Human Services under Gov. Rudy Perpich. He then served as Director of the Minnesota State Council on Disability and as Director of Governmental Relations for Lutheran Social Service of MN. He became President/CEO of LSS of Southern California in 2000. Upon his return to MN in 2006, he served as director of the House of Charity and the Senior Recovery Program. John was a relentless champion of the poor, the under-privileged, the elderly and the mentally ill. He fought injustices of any kind. He loved teaching, traveling, foreign languages, history, genealogy, reading, writing, cooking, gardening, the MN State Fair, organ music and singing. He was proud of his Danish heritage. His sense of humor was in a class of its own. He had deep love and pride for his family, immediate and extended, and took great interest in the lives of everyone he knew. John is preceded in death by his parents. Survived by loving wife, Annette Roth; daughters Jennifer Burdick (Matthew) and Amanda Hall; two granddaughters, Nora and Natalie; brothers Phillip (Barbara), Richard (Katherine), David (Mary) and Steven (Tamara); 16 nieces and nephews, many cousins and countless friends. A funeral liturgy with Holy Communion will be celebrated on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 11AM (visitation at 10AM) at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorials to Mt. Olive Lutheran or Elim Lutheran Church, Robbinsdale (3978 W. Broadway). May the Lord's face shine upon him and be gracious to him; may God look upon him with favor, and grant him eternal peace.
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Lynn M Larson
Rev Robert D Haskin
John was my best life-time friend, from senior year at BHS till his death in 2011. It was not based on his political or career accomplishments, but on friendship and support. Some of the time we lived in different states but then we telephoned and wrote each other. He was a magnificent letter writer, an art that has gone by the wayside in today's world. I was able to buck him up and he was able to do the same for me. It was just one of those rare friendships that one doesn't have very often have in life. We were fortunate.
I had met him at Many Point Boy Scout Camp when we were Counselors-in-Training when I was going to another school a couple of years before BHS. Then I started as a senior at BHS and on my first day, when I knew no one, there he was in the newspaper office. I couldn't believe it. From that point on, we became great friends, did things at the school and outside school, followed each other to Augsburg, and beyond. He was in my wedding and we kept in touch ever after. Our wives and we took trips together and he and I walked the city lakes, downtown, or at Ridgedale Mall for exercise and fellowship, often followed by breakfast. This was often weekly. I had breakfast with him the day before he died. I am still not over his death. Having been a hospice chaplain, I know I probably never will be "over" his death. Rev. Bob Haskin