1980 - COS Passes
400 S. I-Oka Avenue
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
March 15, 1980
On February 16th we buried C.O. in his beloved Mount Prospect, down the street from where we first lived here 32 years ago. Clarence began to suffer kidney failure and congestive heart failure in early November. After five weeks in the hospital and three in an extended-care facility, we brought him home on January 9th. David—who had returned from Bangladesh on December 6th—and I cared for him at home for five weeks before his tired heart gave out on February 12. It was a sad end to such an active life, watching a mind struggling to stay alert in a body that was too tired to go on. We had some good moments those last weeks together and the support of many good friends. We are grateful for all the cards and flowers, calls and visits during C.O.’s illness. He wanted us to be sure to acknowledge them. The outpouring of sympathy and good will at the wake and funeral was also deeply appreciated.
A memorial fund in C.O.’s name has been established to support orphans and dying people under the care of Mother Teresa’s sisters working in Bangladesh. David traveled with Mother Teresa from Calcutta to Rome in December when she was going to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. We feel that her prayers gave us ten more peaceful weeks with C.O. In his life he tried to bring peace in so many ways. May he now rest in peace.
C.O. was concerned that he could not get to our Christmas letter this past year. So this is our “Christmas Chimes,”
a few months late, tolling instead of chiming, but still ringing out news of peace for him after a long struggle.
Even though C.O. is no longer with us, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Marcia and Mark’s fourth child, our
seventh grandchild, due momentarily in Dowagiac, Michigan. David is still here with me helping with the details and correspondence before he returns to his mission in Bangladesh on March 30. Paul has returned to Cambridge, Mass. with his family.
Thanks again for your friendship over the years.
Betty Schlaver
P.S. Marcia’s baby arrived at press time! Michelle Lynn Steffens was born March 13. Her parents and three brothers are very happy.
Clarence O. Schlaver
We mourn the passing of one of Mount Prospect’s most dearly loved citizens: Clarence O. Schlaver.
This man came to our community in the late 1940s, at the threshold of an era of tremendous growth. Concerned for Mount Prospect’s future, he accepted an appointment to the village board in 1954. For 11 years he diligently served as a public official, the last four as mayor. Schlaver realized early on that Mount Prospect was to become much more than its original settlers had bargained for and that, in order to protect the village’s character, the growth would have to be properly planned. Many of his efforts as a public official were aimed at meeting the needs of a developing community. It was during his tenure that Randhurst Shopping Center opened for business.
But government service was only one aspect of Schlaver’s contribution to our community. He was an active member of the Lions Club, serving as its president for a time. And eight years after leaving local politics, he became executive director of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, a post he held until last month, when ill health forced him to retire.
Clarence O. Schlaver was a man to be respected and, now, a man whom we will miss.
Thursday, February 14, 1980
The Daily Herald, Section 1–5
Schlaver left his mark on growing community
by Pamela Bailey
Herald staff writer
No one can drive through Mount Prospect without seeing some trace of Clarence O. Schlaver.
A former trustee, mayor and executive director of the chamber of commerce, Schlaver had a part in many of the events that shaped Mount Prospect: the building of Randhurst Shopping Center, the annexation of Old Orchard Country Club, the expansion of the village south of Golf Road, the acquisition of a museum for the town’s historical society.
That long career of service to Mount Prospect ended Tuesday with his death. He was 74.
On Saturday, he will be buried in St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, only two blocks south of the Elmhurst Avenue house he and his family bought in 1948 when they moved to Mount Prospect.
Clarence helped bring about a vital phase in the community’s development. Robert Teichert, a former mayor and trustee, said, “His presence is still felt here in a lot of ways.”
Six years after moving to Mount Prospect, Schlaver was appointed village trustee, a position he held for two terms. During that time, Schlaver played a crucial role in persuading a businessman to drop his objections to the development of Randhurst.
Because only one corner of the property touched Mount Prospect, the annexation of the proposed development could have been derailed if the businessman had pressed his objections.
Later, after he was elected mayor in 1961, Schlaver engineered the annexation of Old Orchard Country Club, successfully negotiating with the developer to ensure the preservation of the golf course.
This, along with Schlaver’s relaxation of the freeze on expansion south of Golf Road, laid the groundwork for much of Mount Prospect’s later population and business growth.
But even after he was defeated in the 1965 mayoral race, he never stopped volunteering his time to Mount Prospect. He became executive director of the chamber of commerce, and his long list of memberships included the Lions Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Mount Prospect Historical Society, Toastmasters International, the Moose and Rotary International.
All donations to the Schlaver family will be given to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who received the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Schlaver’s son, David, is a missionary in Bangladesh, where Mother Teresa runs an orphanage and a home for the dying.
Visitation will be at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Rd., from 5 to 9:30 p.m. today and 2 to 9 p.m. Friday. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 100 S. Elmhurst Rd.