Misty (stenslie) Claassen Obituary (1972 - 2016)

Born Dec 08, 1972, Misty (stenslie) Claassen attended Mandan High School in Mandan, ND. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Misty (stenslie) Claassen.

Graduation Year	Class of 1990
Date of Birth	Dec 08, 1972
Date of Passing	Apr 30, 2016
About	Misty was an incredibly resilient survivor, who let the hardships she dealt with in childhood shape her into a wise, brave, and loving adult. She was born December 8, 1972, and she spent much of her childhood in foster care, kinship care, shelters, and group homes. In her teen years she lived life as a runaway, as a ward of the juvenile justice system in detention, hospitals, and state reform school. In a letter to her friends, Misty explained some of the things that helped her find her way as a young person. “Along the way, my excellent taste in people allowed me to recruit friends, staff members, and other mentors to tether me to my very uncertain and frightening world, finding the beauty that I had been missing. At 16, I entered my final foster home with the Stenslie’s, whose last name I eventually legally claimed. They taught me that I could be my own boss and advocate. They opened my eyes to the idea of college and an entirely different kind of adulthood than I had ever envisioned before them. Their three adult children claimed me and have continued to be very important to me over the years. They helped me figure out how to have genuine relationships…” As an adult, Misty used her life experiences to inform her work and create her own family. She earned a Master’s degree in social work and worked in child protection, clinical social work, as a nationally-known trainer, and a foster care advocate for more than 20 years. She also served as a licensed foster parent, maintaining a lifelong bond of love and commitment with her three (now adult) foster children. Misty’s family included a large community of alumni brothers and sisters, very close friends, and her beloved husband Jay. Misty was known for her wisdom, sense of humor, and genuine authenticity. By her own account, Misty had a happy adult life, filled with many loving relationships and satisfying work. After a painful six-year battle with tick-borne diseases and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Misty died peacefully at her home on Saturday, April 30, 2016. She will be greatly missed