Ursula Biell Clear, family matriarch

Ursula Biell Clear, 96, of Lewes, formerly of Lakewood, N.J. and Teaneck, N.J., passed away Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, at Beebe Medical Center, Lewes. She was born in Landsberg, Germany, daughter of the late Frank and Lucia (Labbe) Biell.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, John A. Clear Sr. in 1995; her sister Christel M. Sanders in 1990; and her daughter Eileen N. Clear in 1967.

Mrs. Clear was a homemaker most of her life and thoroughly enjoyed raising her four children. A matriarch with strong family values, she took great pride in caring for others. Mrs. Clear always shared a smile of encouragement and offered a helping hand at home, church, school, and in the community. An avid gardener, chef and baker, accomplished seamstress, prolific reader, and lifelong traveler, she enjoyed beaches and boardwalks, trips to U.S. National Parks with her family, and world travel with her husband. Everyone will miss this devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Mrs. Clear is survived by her two sons John A. Clear Jr. of Scarsdale, N.Y. and Paul F. Clear of Delray Beach, Fla.; her daughter Janet B. Clear of Lewes; six grandchildren;12 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and their respective children and grandchildren.

Rosary will be said at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, 152 Tulip Drive, Lewes, led by the Columbiettes. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. Interment will be private.

Arrangements by Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Lewes.

Memorial donations in Mrs. Clear's honor may be made to St. Jude Catholic Church Building Fund, 152 Tulip Drive, Lewes, DE 19958; Delaware Hospice, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963; or Chaplaincy Office at Beebe Medical Center, 424 Savannah Road, Lewes, DE 19958.