Grace Klauber Dies at 106 After Life of Civic Service

Two days after celebrating her 106th birthday, Grace Gould Klauber, a longtime community service volunteer, died Thursday at UCSD Medical Center after a brief illness.

Mrs. Klauber proffered her leadership and service to the many social, civic and cultural organizations she was a part of throughout her life.

Born on Christmas Day, 1884, in Chicago, Mrs. Klauber moved to San Diego with her family in 1899. She attended Russ High School, which is now San Diego High, and was president of the class of 1903.

Mrs. Klauber married her classmate, Laurence M. Klauber, in 1911. Laurence Klauber went on to become chairman and CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric. He published works on reptiles, and was the Natural History Museum’s first curator of reptiles and amphibians. He died in 1968 at 84.

Mrs. Klauber was active in many community organizations and was honored by the Salvation Army, which named her a “Woman of Distinction” in 1985.

She had been a member of the Wednesday Club since 1923. She was a longtime campaigner for the San Diego Community Chest, now the United Way of San Diego County, of which her brother, E.B. Gould, was the founding president in 1920.

Mrs. Klauber was a member of ZLAC Rowing Club since 1904 and was its president in 1927-28. In 1982, she was the honorary chairwoman of the San Diego Crew Classic.

A longtime board member of the Boys & Girls Aid Society, now the Boys & Girls Mental Health Centers, Mrs. Klauber served as president from 1935-37. She was also president of the House of Hospitality Assn. in Balboa Park from 1957-58 and remained active in the organization.

Mrs. Klauber was an avid gardener and worked in her gardens daily until she was in her late 90s. She drove her own car until she was 101 and ran her household alone until she was 102.

Mr. and Mrs. Klauber were longtime concert-goers and enthusiasts of classical music. She served on the board of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra when it was re-established in 1949 after a shutdown during World War II. For many years she was a director of the San Diego Women’s Committee for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and was a co-founder and vice president of the San Diego Opera Guild in 1950.

Mrs. Klauber had lived in the family home since 1927 and entertained often there. She celebrated her 105th birthday there with a large group of friends last December.

Mrs. Klauber is survived by her children, Alice K. Miller and Philip M. Klauber of San Diego, and seven grandchildren: Dr. Laurence A. Miller of Los Angeles and Grace Miller Valencia, David Miller Jr., Jeffrey Conyers, Timothy Klauber, Janet K. Oliver and Laurie K. Wasserman, of San Diego; and two great-grandchildren, of San Diego.

Following Mrs. Klauber’s wishes, there will be no services. Merkley-Mitchell Mortuary is in charge.

The family asks that donations be sent to the Wednesday Club, the San Diego Natural History Museum or to a favorite charity.