Obituary of Clarence Leroy Weltz

Clarence Leroy Weltz, 89, died peacefully in his home in Colorado Springs on November 13, 2023, with his family by his side.

He and his wife, Rosalie, moved to Colorado Springs in 2022 after many years of living in Parshall, Van Hook and Minot, ND. He was born in Anamoose, ND on June 20, 1934 to Theodore and Alvina (Lang) Weltz. 

Clarence graduated from Anamoose High School in 1951, attended Bottineau School of Forestry and graduated from State Normal Industrial College in Ellendale, ND with a degree in education. He later received his Master’s of Educational Administration degree from the University of North Dakota.

Clarence served in the U.S. Army from 1955 - 1957 and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. Whenever he shared about his “Army days”, he would be sure to add that in the 1950’s Alaska was not yet a state, so his service was considered overseas duty.

Sports have always been a big part of Clarence’s life. He was a boxer and football player when he attended college in Bottineau, and had a football scholarship from Ellendale. He was an avid bowler wherever he lived, and was quite the baseball player. When he was 39 years old, he was awarded “Player of the Year” in ND amateur baseball.

He started his educational career of teaching and administration in Marmarth, ND in 1959 and went on to serve other school districts in North Dakota -- Deering, Wildrose, Gackle, Parshall, and Powers Lake, as Superintendent of Schools. After retiring from education in 1991, Clarence served as a Mountrail County Commissioner, and he and Rosalie managed the bait shop at Van Hook for several years. They later moved to Minot and more recently to Colorado Springs to be closer to family.

Clarence’s faith was important to him, and he attended church regularly. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoyed playing cards with family and friends. He was also a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan and enjoyed watching local sports teams. Clarence rarely missed attending his children’s and grandchildren’s events, and especially enjoyed watching his grandson play baseball with Dream Catchers in recent years. Clarence’s family fondly remembers how he creatively fixed many things around the house with either duct tape or brown shoelaces, or both!

Clarence will be remembered as a hard-working member of the community, and for his dedication to family and education. He had many admirable qualities that made him well-liked and admired by all who he encountered in both his personal and professional life. His leadership left a lasting impact on all those who were blessed to know him. Clarence was known for his compassion, kindness, fairness and caring nature. Many enjoyed his good nature and clever sense of humor.

He is survived by Rosalie, his wife of 65 years, of Colorado Springs; children Connie (Rob) Blatherwick of Parshall, ND; Scott (Debra) Weltz of Surprise, AZ; Lynn (Foster) Mathes of Colorado Springs; Paul (Cindy) Weltz of Auburndale, FL; Grandchildren Donovan (Heidi) Blatherwick and Joss (Johana) Blatherwick, Claire, Matthew, and Jay Weltz; and great-grandsons Nixon, Jack, and Henry Blatherwick; sister-in-law Cherraine Weltz of Harvey, ND; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters Alice Huber and Irene Schmidt; and brother Ervin Weltz.

A memorial is being planned for the summer of 2024 at the Veterans’ Cemetery in Mandan, ND. If you’d like to honor Clarence with a memorial, some of his favorite organizations are:

Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ), Clarence’s daughter Lynn Mathes’s ministry 8767 Estebury Circle - Colorado Springs, CO 80920; The Van Hook Association c/o Steven Littlefield - 4011 Highway 8 - New Town, ND 58763 and Dream Catchers 2717 5th St. NW Apt. 107D -  Minot, ND 58703.