Clara was born on April 15, 1924, in Poweshiek County, Iowa, the daughter of Charles and Mary Henry Bryan. She was raised in the Grinnell area and was a 1942 graduate of Grinnell High School. On December 20, 1947, she was united in marriage to Keith D. Halstead, in Grinnell. Following their marriage the couple lived in Iowa City and Des Moines returning to Grinnell in 1950. They moved to Minnesota in 1957 and later moved to Missouri. She assisted her husband in the insurance business for 20 years and retired in 1985. After Keith passed away in 2000, Clara moved back to Grinnell to live among her family in the town she loved. Clara was a member of the Grinnell United Methodist Church and a former member of P.E.O. She enjoyed family gatherings and had fond memories of their 50th wedding anniversary in December of 1997 with all their children and in-laws during a special weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. She also enjoyed playing bridge and traveling. They visited every state in the U.S. except Alaska and had traveled abroad to Germany. Survivors include her children, Kayce (David Tracey) Halstead of Nacogdoches, Texas, Chris (Cheryll) Halstead of Ankeny, and Kurt (Jeffrey Coyne) Halstead of Pacifica, California; four grandchildren, Dylan and Katie Tracey of Nacogdoches and Dan and Mike (Megan) Halstead of Des Moines; and two great-grandchildren, Daniel and Olivia Halstead of Des Moines. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Keith; five sisters, Bessie Wright, Ruth Mithelman, Hazel Brim, Margaret Osborn and Sally Todd; and five brothers, Ray, Roy, Alvin, Abe and Bob Bryan. Memorials may be directed to Grinnell Regional Medical Center or to the Grinnell United Methodist Church.