Clarabell M. Niven

Clarabell Moore Niven, age 97, of Twin Falls, Idaho, passed away peacefully with family at her side August 25, 2013. Clarabell was born April 11, 1916, in Maryville, Missouri, to Charles and Nora Moore. She grew up in Bedford, Iowa, where she graduated from elementary and secondary school and continued to complete teaching training at Missouri North West College. From the fall of 1937 to February of 1939 she had many adventures teaching in a one-room school. On February 4, 1937, Clarabell married Robert G. Niven and they moved West living in Twin Falls, Wells, Nevada, and the Camas Prairie. She worked in the cookhouse at the Lucky Boy mine in Custer. Leaving Idaho when WWII broke out, she worked as a “Rosie the Riveter’ at Douglas Air Craft in Long Beach, California, and Geiger Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. Clarabell also worked at Clinton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco from August 1944 to November of 1944. She then returned to Twin Falls in 1945 where their daughter, Karin, was born. Settling in Magic Valley after the war, Clarabell spent the next part of her life raising their daughter and helping her husband with farming, a small milking herd, and tending her gardens and chickens. The bimonthly milk check and money from selling the eggs to Shelby’s, now Smith’s paid the household expenses. Clarabell loved to crochet, sew and bake; the cookie jar was never empty. She loved geography and travelling in the United States. When she could no longer travel, an atlas and a magnifying glass were always by her chair so she could track the travels of her family and friends. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary from 1944 to present time holding several offices during that time, 5th District President among them. The United States held a very special place in her heart. In 1982 Clarabell and Bob retired from farming and moved to Gem Street in Kimberly where Clarabell quickly adjusted to town living and continued baking cookies, now for the neighborhood children. In 2000 she moved to Independent Living and, in 2010, to the Assisted Living at Bridgeview Estates. While in Independent Living she enjoyed a small flower garden just outside the door of her 1st floor apartment. Clarabell was preceded in death by her parents, Nora and Charles Moore, brothers, Kenneth and Arthur Moore and her husband, Robert G. Niven. She is survived by her daughter, Karin Niven Graham (Bill); granddaughters Tessa Graham (Mark Muth) Lawrie Graham, Kristin Graham Kipkie (Scott) and 6 great grandchildren: Andrew and Charlotte Muth, Sam and Alex Ainsworth, and Ayla and Raya Kipkie. Her Idaho family for whom she was very grateful and dearly loved, Jerry Wilson and Carol Kinslow, will especially miss her. Celebration of Life Service will be at Bridgeview Estates in the Great Room at 2PM on Thursday, August 29th. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to American Legion Auxiliary, Visions Hospice, Bridgeview Estates or a charity of your choice.