Clarence Rief, 90, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota formerly of West Des Moines, Iowa, passed away Sunday, March 15, 2026, at United Hospital in St Paul, Minnesota. Clarence suffered a traumatic stroke following a serious infection, leaving him unable to recover.
A Memorial Mass will be at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 18, at Church of St Patrick in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, and will also be livestreamed at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/a26037481473947. The family will greet friends at 10 a.m. until the service at the church begins.
Clarence was born September 9, 1935, in Manitowoc, Wis., to Clarence and Martha Reif. He married Barbara Rae Senglaub on June 1, 1957, and they had four children, Daniel, Michael, Victoria and Thomas. They raised their children first in Moline, Il before moving to West Des Moines, IA in 1975.
Clarence will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather who liked to challenge kids to think before they acted and enjoyed seeing them grow into strong people. Clarence never knew his father who died in an auto accident before he was born. He and his brother Jack were raised by their mother and spent summers at his aunt and uncle’s farm.
Clarence graduated from Lincoln High School in Manitowoc and received his degree in management from Marquette University. He spent his career with John Deere retiring as an Engineering Manager. Clarence was an avid (and very good) golfer, keeping a log of every golf score throughout his life. After retirement, Clarence and Barbara spent their winters in Horseshoe Bay, Texas until Barbara’s death in 2012. Clarence then continued to live in West Des Moines, Iowa until 2024 when he sold his home and spent a year living with each of his children for a few months at a time. We each cherished the time he spent with our families. In early December 2025 Clarence moved to St Therese Memory Care Center, Woodbury MN. He told his friend Rita that he couldn’t be in a better place at this time of life.
Clarence was preceded in death by his parents Clarence and Martha, his parents-in-law Arthur and Lucile Senglaub, his brother Jack and sister-in-law Marilyn, his brothers-in-law Donald and Robert Senglaub.
Clarence is survived by his children, Daniel (Mary Ann) Rief, Michael (Jane Marie) Rief, Victoria (Richard) Dillenburg and Thomas (Terry) Rief; 13 grandchildren, Michelle, Christopher, Benjamin, Vanessa, Jennifer, Jonathan, Joseph, Julia, Nicholas, Samuel, Daniel, Amanda, and Alyssa; 14 great-grandchildren, Kenya, Taryn, Everest, Harrington, Gwendolyn, Galatia, Gisele, Theodore, Liam, Helena, Adeline, Daphne, Caroline, and Isla; sisters-in-law, Nancy Senglaub and Sharon Donovan-Rief; nephews, nieces, great nephews and great nieces and dear friend Rita Kliment.
Memorials may be directed to Church of St Patrick Inver Grove Heights, MN, Sacred Heart Parish West Des Moines, IA, or Heifer International.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at St Therese Woodbury and United Hospital for the wonderful care Clarence received there.