Obit: Gruszynski, Clara E. (1891 - 1967)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Gruszynski

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 3/2/1967

Gruszynski, Clara E. (30 June 1891 - 21 February 1967)

Services were held in Thorp Saturday for Clara E. Gruszynski, 75, one of the founders and original directors of Thorp Finance Corporation, who died of a stroke Tuesday in South Bend, Ind.

Miss Gruszynski was assistant cashier of the Farmers Exchange Bank in Thorp in 1925, when she joined with Francis J. Conway, present chairman of the finance firm and several other residents of the community in organizing a corporation to handle automobile financing.

She continued to work full time at the bank and spent evenings on Thorp finance matters until 1933, when the young company erected a small building and she became manager of the office.

Retiring from active service in 1961, when she held the title of vice president, Miss Gruszynski was elected an honorary life vice president of the corporation in 1964, and continued as a director until her death.

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Gruszynski, she was born June 30, 1891, in the small mining community of Excelsior, Pa., moved to Milwaukee with her family when she was three months old, later to Antigo, and finally to Thorp. She attended school there and began her career by teaching and later was principal of a two-room rural school from 1911-1924, (and the rest of her live story was missing.)