Clara LaRae Lloyd Hollingsworth

Clara LaRae Lloyd Hollingsworth passed away on December 29, 2025, two days after her 97th birthday.

She was a resident of Summerfield Memory Care in Stockton, California, at the time of her passing. There will be a private family viewing at Erickson and Brown Mortuary in Taft, California, on Friday, January 9, at 9:30 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Attendees will be invited to share memories of LaRae.

LaRae proudly claimed her birthplace in Bluebell, Duchesne County, Utah, reminding all that she was born on an Indian Reservation. She was the first child of Allen George Lloyd and Clara Ellen Hancock Lloyd. Economic challenges brought the Lloyd family to Taft, California, where they added a son, Glen, and began a life in the oilfields. With a strong family work ethic, LaRae excelled at everything she did, from achieving a lifetime California Scholarship Federation membership to becoming an accomplished pianist.

Her college plans were disrupted when a handsome Marine, Homer “John” Hollingsworth, returned from service in World War II. He became the love of her life, and they eloped on her 18th birthday in 1946. Over the next seven years they welcomed five children. LaRae continued to excel and could do it all—from keeping three meals a day on the table, to making clothing for herself and her children, to tarring a roof, and remodeling a bathroom. She continued her quest for lifelong learning and was never afraid of hard work.

Vacations were feats of organization, with LaRae and John preparing everything needed for a ten-day—or longer—stay in a remote, boat-accessed area of Edison Lake. In the built-from-scratch tent camp, complete with electricity, running water, hot showers, and all the snacks you could want, she scared off bears and hosted generations of family. And she didn’t even like to fish.

LaRae was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With steadfast diligence she served in many positions, including Bakersfield Stake Relief Society President, Taft Ward Relief Society President, Junior Sunday School Coordinator, dedicated teacher of gospel doctrine, Ward Music Coordinator, and as an ever-ready piano accompanist.

Throughout her life, LaRae was an avid genealogist and spent years researching family history with scholarly exactness. Later in life, she loved to travel widely—walking on the Great Wall of China, exploring the streets of old Jerusalem, seeing England, the country of her ancestors, and visiting many other places.

In 2000, LaRae and John moved to Valley Springs, California, to be near their children. Their persistent example of hard work continued with the help of their sons as they built their dream home. Great-grandchildren could always look forward to riding in the Gator, dancing to the player-piano, feeding the fish in the koi pond, and eating Oreos offered by Grandma with a twinkle in her eye.

LaRae is preceded in death by her husband, John, and by her two grandsons, Trevor and Brent Hollingsworth. She is survived by four sons, Joel (Melinda), Gary, Brian (Mari), and Darryl (Lee), and one daughter, Ellen Woolsey (Bruce), along with 17 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren (with one on the way), and one great-great-grandchild.

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