Clara Lou Beers Knowles, 80, died August 22, 2009 in Dallas, Texas of a stroke. Mrs. Knowles was born July 9, 1929 in Ogden, the daughter of Arthur G. and Clara Hortense Rose Beers.

She graduated from Ogden High School in June 1947. She attended the Dee Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in June 1950, and continued working at that hospital as a registered nurse until September 1951 when she married Kenneth Boyd Knowles in the Salt Lake Temple. They moved to Salt Lake City while Mr. Knowles studied for his law degree at the University of Utah. During that time, she worked at Holy Cross Hospital and Shriners Crippled Children's Hospital.

In January 1956, her husband was called to active duty as an Air Force legal officer and they moved Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where he was stationed at Kinross Air Force Base. Subsequent assignments took them to Stewart AFB New York; Sembach Air Base Germany; Hill AFB; Elmendorf AFB Alaska; Ramstein Air Base Germany; three times at Wright Patterson AFB Ohio; and to Colonel Knowles final assignment at Dallas, Texas, where he served as general counsel to the worldwide Army and Air Force Exchange Service. During these assignments, Mrs. Knowles continued working as a nurse at hospitals in Ohio; Roy, Utah; and Anchorage, Alaska.

After her retirement she maintained her medical involvement as a volunteer for 17 years in the Dallas Children's Hospital. Everywhere they resided Mrs. Knowles served in various LDS Church callings, among them as seminary teacher, Relief Society president, member of stake Relief Society presidency, and many others. She was a Dallas Temple ordinance worker for 13 years, and served a mission and the Church's Kirtland historic sights with her husband from 1997 to 1999. During Colonel Knowles' 31-year military career she was active in Officer's Wives Clubs, often serving as an officer in those organizations.

She was deeply interested in art history and continued her studies in the subject at Wright State University and Southern Methodist University. She and her husband were also avid patrons in the musical scene wherever they were stationed, regularly attending all available operas, symphony and chamber music concerts.

Mrs. Knowles is survived my her husband of 58 years, daughter Kathryn Knowles and her husband Edwin Darrell, and two grandsons, Kenneth Darrell and James Darrell, al of Dallas; also by a sister, Marilyn Anderson of Ogden, a brother, Armond Beers and his wife Virginia Beers of Boise; many other relatives and a vast number of friends she acquired during her extensive life's travels.

Funeral services will be held at Myers Mortuary, 845 Washington Blvd., Ogden, Utah, at 11:00 am, Saturday August 29, 2009, followed by interment in the Hyrum City Cemetery. Family and friends may call from 9:30 to 10:30 am before the service.