Dorothy Lucille (Evans) Clauser (abt. 1920 - 2017)

Born about 1920 in Mississippi

Died 24 Dec 2017 at about age 97 in Beaumont, Texas

Biography

Dorothy was born about 1920. She passed away in 2017.

Dorothy Lucille Clauser

January 2 at 2:37pm from Dana Thank You just doesn't cover it... below are the thoughts that I shared at Nanaw's Funeral. The love & support you have showed my family will never be forgotten. (Shout out to Nanaw's Facebook Fan Club toward the end.) 💕

My family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for taking time out of your busy day to come and celebrate our Nanaw. Most of you have probably only known Nanaw for the last few years and had only known her as a xprecious little "elderly" lady. What you need to know about this little stick of dynamite is that she's always been just exactly that, a stick of dynamite! My grandmother was born in 1920 in rural Mississippi, Yazoo City to be exact. She picked cotton side-by-side with migrant workers on her father's farm. Imagine how TINY that little cotton picker must've been back in the day! She told me one day this past year, that her daddy used to set her Cotton aside and save it because she always picked her cotton so clean, and when he took his cotton to the cotton gin to sell it, he would always put her cotton on the top of the truck so that he could get more money for his cotton. That doesn't surprise me. She always was an overachiever! She was always a hard worker, she never stop moving… And she wore me and my sister OUT every summer when we would go spend time with her. Going to my grandmothers house was the quintessential time with your grandmother. Playing mud pies under the pecan trees, playing dress-up with the neighborhood kids. Walking the dog after supper. Perfect! She was the perfect role model of a grandmother… And quite honestly I told her that not long ago. We had a very moving conversation and I will always be grateful for the moment. Nanaw was also the valedictorian of her senior class. Her class of five! Nanaw played basketball… Now, let that sink in a little bit. At her peak she was 4' 101/2". Basketball! I would've paid money to see that... Nanaw's grandparents died before she was born. She never had a role model to teach her how to be a grandparent & yet she rocked it! Her vacations from work always consisted of coming to Bridge city to pick up my sister & I. We always went on road trips to places like Arkansas, Mississippi, and back to Dallas. Nanaw was a smart lady! She knew how to make the most of a road trip. On her way to pick up Chari and I she would buy a bushel of purple hull peas… And we would shell peas all the way to where we were going and back! Nanaw was a smart lady! And to this day, I still struggle buying peas that are already shelled ... that's not the way you're supposed to buy peas. Our vacations always consisted of a learning experience. She took us to historic homes, military cemeteries, battleship Texas, Museums, the Alamo, and we read those historical markers on the side of the road, just like they were written simply for us to read!

Nanaw lived in Dallas for many many years. As a matter fact she lived in Dallas until charity was born, when she & Pops moved to Silsbee to be closer to the grandkids. Before moving to Silsbee, Chari and I spent many summers in Dallas. And the highlight of our summer was always a trip to Six Flags. We would get up early & be waiting at the gate when the doors opened to get into Six Flags with that sweet tiny little stick of dynamite. She would literally run our legs off until 8 PM when none of us could handle anymore Six Flags. And when we got in bed that night we would all get the giggles because we were so as Nanaw called it "rum dumb." (And somebody usually "tooted!") Those were special nights! Nanaw loved her family... but she REALLY loved Jesus!! For as far back as I can remember, Nanaw has either taught vacation Bible school, taught Sunday school, played the piano for Sunday school, or attended Sunday school her entire life! She LOVED Jesus!! I remember when she was around 88 years old, we were attending a church and I asked her how she enjoyed her Sunday school class and she said she was thinking about visiting another class, because that "old lady" Sunday school class was kind of boring. That's who my grandmother was! She drove until she was 90, she read two library books a week until she was 96, and for the past year she has added spice, humor, exhaustion, and so much love our family! Today we celebrate the fact that she is HOME. She is whole, she's walking upright, and she is reading again, from Heavens Church Library, with two healthy eyes! She is holding hands with Pops, who she loved so dearly and she's watching over each and everyone of us. I could not put an end to this day without thanking so many people who have made this last year possible. The love and support from my husband this year has been immeasurable. Spending the night away from home, two and sometimes three nights a week has not been easy... But he supported me every minute of every night I needed to be away. To my Uncle Dwight who has spent countless hours with Nanaw I don't know what we would've done without you! I hope that you gained as many blessings during this past year, from your time with Nanaw as I did. To my mom, who isn't "technically" family, but will always be a bright spot in my grandmother's heart… Your sacrifices over the past years have been immeasurable. I know that Nanaw is grateful for the time you were able to spend with her, as well. To my daughter Charity, who even after she moved away to Montgomery, still drove in, to stay with Nanaw, as often as she could... I know you will be forever blessed. To my Sister Chari, who provided much needed mobile beauty shop days, in between her nights with Nanaw, she was SO grateful!! To Carley who always lit up Nanaw's heart when she brought "those boys" (her Great-Great Grandsons for a visit. She spoke of your visits often. To Hope & Ms. Ruth, your caring compassion when our family needed it most, will never be forgotten. Thank you to the countless numbers of family members who came, who helped us clean, and just did the every day tasks that needed to be done when the village is taking care of it's matriarch. Words could never express my Thanks!! And last but not least… I would like to thank the Nanaw's Facebook fan club! Nanaw never knew she had a Facebook Fan Club… But our family did. It has meant the world to us to hear the love and encouragement that friends across our area have extended to our sweet grandmother! Hopefully, by us sharing little bits & pieces of Nanaw's life, and a few prayers here and there, she has been able to bless someone's life… someone she never even knew. That alone would probably get me out of hot water for taking all those pictures she didn't know I took, and recording all those prayers & conversations that she didn't know I recorded. For now let's just keep that between us! Again, from each member of our family… Thank you for being here to celebrate Nanaw!! It means a lot! 💕 And finally, because the Matriarch of our family always had the final word... we'd like to share with you one of our favorite Night Night Prayers from Nanaw. This one was from August 28th of this year (2017).

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Sources

1. ↑ Personal recollection of events witnessed by Adam Hollier as remembered 4 Jan 2018. Dorothy Lucille Clauser Dorothy Lucille Clauser, (Nanaw) 97, of Beaumont, TX, went to be with Jesus, on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017. She was an avid reader, reading two library books a week, up to the age of 96. She was the eldest attending member of Westgate Memorial Baptist Church in Beaumont. She was also a long-time member of Pinecrest Baptist Church in Silsbee, and volunteered for the Christian Care Center in Silsbee, up until the age of 85. Before moving to Silsbee, she was a member, Sunday school teacher, and choir member for Hampton Place Baptist Church in Dallas, where she met her beloved “Pops”. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Clauser; parents, Ben and Viola Evans, brothers, M. J. Sykes and J. M. Sykes. She is survived by her sons, Dwight Lansford of Beaumont, and Raymond Lansford and wife Ina Mae of Ore City, TX; grandchildren, Dana Johnson Williams and husband Dale Williams of Beaumont, and Chari Clifton and husband Louis Clifton of Sabine Pass, TX; great grandchildren, Charity Wright and husband Caleb Wright of Montgomery, TX, and Carley Wagner and husband Lane Wagner of Groves, TX, and great-great grandchildren, Abel Wagner and Atlas Wagner, and one on the way, Sawyer Chance Wright. The family will receive friends at Farmer Funeral Home, on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, from 4 to 7 p.m. Funeral services will be at Farmer Funeral Home on Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, at 2 p.m., with Pastor Raymond McHenry officiating. Interment will follow at R. S. Farmer Memorial Cemetery.

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