Clara Lorene Murray age ninety-seven, the daughter of Burt Maynard and Mary Ellen Payne Maynard was born on February 20, 1925 just outside of Nixa, MO. She passed away on November 12, 2022 after a brief illness. She was proceeded in death by her parents, three sisters, Leota Harding, Ruth Keonig Albrect, Rosale Carter, former husbands Lovell Gard, and James Murray.

At the age of twelve her mother died unexpectedly and her father was killed in an automobile accident a little more than a year later. Her older sister Leota Harding was given guardianship of her in 1941 when she was sixteen. At the age of 14, Lorene lived in several different homes providing housekeeping and cooking for room and board. At the age of sixteen in the month of May 1941 she married Lovell Gard and to this union a son, Benny was born. She attended Nixa High School but dropped out to be married to Lovell Gard. She and Lovell later divorced and she married James (Jim) Murray in 1966.

In the 1950’s she worked at the Missouri Farmers Coopt packing company in Springfield. Later she and Lovell purchased a custom slaughter house just south of Nixa. She helped in the butchering process. She worked at Millers Photography helping process photography film before the days of digital images. In 1977 she completed her Cosmopolitan degree and was granted her license from the State Board of Cosmetology of Missouri. She worked in different beauty shops and also had a beauty shop at the Maranatha Village Retirement Community she became an instructor of cosmetology and taught students.

Her passion was talking to people, playing the piano, talking to people, reading and talking to people. She could play on the piano or organ, anything that you could hum. During her first marriage and and Lovell would host or attend music parties. She owned and electric organ for years, later she purchased an electric keyboard and took it to places to play such as to senior centers. Lastly she was gifted a piano from her niece and nephew. She played at her church between Sunday School and worship. She played at the church as recent as this within weeks of her death. Back in the summer, when she was in the nursing home for rehab, she played for the residents and staff and when she left there several staff came and thanked her for playing. When she was no longer able to drive, she would call a neighbor or a friend and play the piano for them. Dorothy, her neighbor visited Lorene and Dorothy would sing while Lorene played the piano.

She was well read and had a great wealth of knowledge on many subjects. She enjoyed visiting with anyone who would listen and she could remember vivid details of past events. She wrote down detail events of her life in three volumes and in one she said she did not like school but she always made top grades without studying. She said the reason she did not have to study was because when she read something she could remember it without studying.

She was saved at a young age and was baptized at High Street Baptist church. She was a member of the Central Christian Church of Springfield at the time of her death.

She lived independently until about four weeks before her death. She is survived by her son Rev. Benny Gard and wife Barbara, two grandchildren, Debora Woody, Rev. Dennis Gard and wife Lisa and give great-grandchildren, Nathaniel Gard, Gabriel Gard, Blake Gard, Rafe Gard and Brayden Woody, nephew Colin Carter and wife Hattie and niece Collette Young and husband Larry. She will be greatly missed by all.