Deacon Clarence Shallbetter, who was ordained in 2001 and served at St. Olaf and Sts. Cyril and Methodius, both in Minneapolis, as well as in prison ministry, died Nov. 9. He was 86.
A native of Minneapolis, Deacon Shallbetter served in the Navy Supply Corps until 1967. In 1969, he married Barbara Wojciak at St. Frances Cabrini in Minneapolis.
In 2017, Deacon Shallbetter began serving as chaplain of the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center, where he remained until retiring from active ministry in 2022. In addition, Deacon Shallbetter worked in prison ministry with the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, with Greater Twin Cities Residents Encounter Christ (REC), a two-day retreat for jail or prison residents in Lino Lakes and Stillwater, and juvenile corrections in Red Wing.
Deacon Shallbetter was preceded in death by his wife, his parents Clarence and Susanna Shallbetter and brother Joseph Shallbetter. He is survived by his daughters Sarah Shallbetter and Ann and Enrique Rivera, and a grandson, Benjamin.
Deacon Shallbetter’s funeral Mass was Nov. 15 at Ascension in Minneapolis. The burial was at Gethsemane Cemetery in New Hope.
