Zora Klasan was born February 1, 1926, in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Ludwick (Louis L.) and Anastazia (Poverzenic) Klasan- both immigrants who gave their birth place as "Slovakia." She had an older brother, Peter, born in 1920, and sister Margaret, born in 1923. Her mother had been married previously, bringing three older daughters to the family: Anna, Helen, and Sylvia.
Her father Louis worked in a steel mill in 1930, while the family made their home in Monessen, Pennsylvania at 1124 McMahan Ave. They remained at that address up through the 1950's. Brother Peter joined his father working in a steel mill, and later became a decorated member of the U. S. Army during World War II.
Zora attended Monessen High School, and was a member of the class of 1944. In 1958 she was working as a bookkeeper at Kaufmann's- a major department store in Pittsburgh.
Sometime prior to 1993 Zora moved to the Stratford Arms Hotel, at 117 W. 70th Street on the upper west side of New York City.
Zora Klasan died aged 73, on December 27, 1999, at Coler-Goldwater Memorial Hospital, and was buried on Hart Island a year and a half later.
Sources: U.S. Social Security Death Index; U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1930 and 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses; U. S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Vol. 2; and U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990.
