Klara Sr. is Gertie’s mother and Klara’s maternal grandmother, for whom she is named. When Klara is young, she discovers photos of Klara Sr. wearing a leotard while riding a horse and performing the Jaws of Life. Klara vows to live up to Klara Sr.’s name, and this is one of the reasons that she becomes so interested in magic. Later, Klara learns that Klara Sr. died performing the Jaws of Life in 1941.