Clarence Zavalney, Minot, formerly of Velva, peacefully left this earthly life and went to be with his Eternal Father on June 23, 2021, at 91 years of age.

Clarence was born on September 22, 1929 near Butte, ND to John and Daisy Zavalney. He was raised on the family farmstead, and attended Butte Public School where he completed 9 ^th grade. His father was injured by a bull in a farm accident, and Clarence ended his formal education to help his brother with spring planting on the farmstead. Clarence loved the outdoors, and spent many happy days hunting and trapping, then later learned taxidermy skills. He also loved leatherworking and creating beautiful leather items.

In April, 1951, Clarence was drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served his country for 2 years. He was trained as a vehicle and tank mechanic, and was stationed in Germany for the last 10 months of his time in the service.

Clarence knew Joyce Reichert as a young boy when she visited ND twice from New York, but he formally met her for the first time at a baseball game in Butte. They were later married on June 2, 1957 in Velva, ND, and lived across the street from the swimming pool, where they were blessed to raise 4 children.

Clarence was an excellent self-taught woodworker, who could build whatever he set his mind to. He helped build a home for his family in Velva, one for his parents in Butte, and his dream earth-sheltered home on his farm outside of Velva. He was a "jack of all trades", and could repair almost anything that was broken, sometimes in very unconventional ways.  He built and operated a successful small grain operation around Velva, and taught his kids the value of hard work. Clarence took great pride in farming, but always spent Sunday as a day of rest, even though there were sometimes drives in the country with his family "just to check on how the crops were doing".

He was a self-taught harmonica, trumpet, piano and accordion player, and was teaching himself to play the musical saw in his later years. He loved learning new things, and never ran into a task he couldn't accomplish with a little hard work and ingenuity.

In his midlife, Clarence desired to tend more to his soul. He spent more time reading his Bible and other spiritual books, and enjoyed listening to sermons on the radio. He desired to encourage his family and others to "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness for your Heavenly Father knows exactly what you need."

Clarence was a member of Oak Valley Lutheran Church of Velva, and later the First Assembly of God Church of Minot where he sang in the "Singing Christmas Tree" choir for several years. He was privileged to be able to go on 2 mission trips to Guatemala in his later years, and was able to assist several other individuals during difficult times in their lives. He played "Taps" for the Butte American Legion on Memorial Day for many years.

Joyce passed away in 2016, and Clarence continued to live in his home in Velva until December 2018, when he moved to the Elmcroft Assisted Living of Minot.

Clarence is survived by 2 daughters, 2 sons, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. Daughter, Joan (Les) Morse, and daughter, Sharee' from Idaho Falls, ID. Son, Craig (Julie) Zavalney, and their children, Isaac, Judah, Luke, Joel and Hannah from Dickinson, ND. Daughter, Sharon (Wayne) Schmaltz from Hazen, ND; and sons, Ryan (Jean) Schmaltz and their children Riley and Kylie from Helena, MT; and Kyle (Mandi) Schmaltz from Fort Bridger, WY. Son, Loren (Anita) Zavalney, and their children, Brady Sprague from Fargo, ND; and Jenna, Adam and Nathan from Park River, ND. Sister, Delphine (Dee) Bauer and her husband, Delbert from Butte, ND. Also, many nieces, nephews, and special friends Jodie and Jaime Frankl and family from Velva, ND.

Clarence was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Joyce of 59 years; brother, Russell Zavalney; and sister Emma (Dusty) Grabowski.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the Velva Senior Center and staff for all the meals he was able to share there, to the staff that cared for Clarence while he lived at Elmcroft of Minot, and during his last days at Trinity Homes in Minot.

The family will visit with friends and relatives from 4:00 till 6:00 pm on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at Thomas Family Funeral Home, 304 Main Street South, Minot, ND.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 1, 2021 at Oak Valley Lutheran Church, 400 Main Street North, Velva, ND.

Interment will take place at the Velva Community Cemetery.