Monika Schulze-Clewing

Monika Schulze-Clewing was born in 1951 in Berlin, Germany, a time when many buildings there still lay in ruins from World War II. She had three brothers and two sisters. Her parents Anni and Erwin were strong believers and active in the Catholic church. That deep faith left roots in her. Monika became a registered nurse and soon moved to other cities to further her career. She worked in trauma centers for accident victims and later specialized in cardiac ultrasound. That is when she was hired away into another career, marketing at medical ultrasound manufacturers. This is also where Joerg and Monika met and in 1990 they married.

After emigrating to America in 1997 Monika found her calling, visiting and helping the elderly as a volunteer. She also became involved in the organization Guide Dogs for the Blind as a puppy sitter. At Light of The Hills Lutheran Church, she trained for and served as a Stephen Minister for many years, as a faith-based lay caregiver for people suffering grief, cancer or other serious personal challenges.

At home she loved gardening and kept our fairly large landscaped yard in impeccable shape, pulling every little weed, manicuring bushes and other plants. Monika was also a gourmet cook.

Parkinson’s disease very slowly robbed Monika of her muscle control. At first walking became painful and insecure. Then it progressed until she was barely able to move any major muscles. Later talking and even hand-holding became impossible for her. Yet in all this she did not question why God allowed this suffering. That is probably one of the reasons why God allows such slowly progressing tough diseases. It was a great example to her husband Joerg and many others, that we shall at all times be content with what God has in store for us and carry our burden with faith.

At the end of 2023 the care became physically too challenging for Joerg, and Monika moved into a very nice care home. It is just over two miles from their house and they were still seeing each other every day. On September 17, 2025 Monika passed away at the young age of 74 and went home to Jesus where we will see her again when our time comes.