Doreen Clouser

With hands that could craft anything and a heart that embraced everyone, Doreen Clouser lived a life as rich and colorful as the art she created. Born on March 4, 1953, in Taylorville, Illinois, to Harry Franklin Foote and Sadie Anne (Smith) Foote, she spent her early years in Illiopolis, Taylorville, and Tovey, laying the foundation for a life filled with resilience, adventure, and love. On February 12, 2025, she passed away at home, surrounded by those who loved her. Though she is no longer with us, her spirit remains woven into the lives of those she touched.

Doreen's journey began with hardship, but she never let it define her. Stricken with polio at just three and a half years old, she spent much of her childhood in a hospital, watching the St. Louis Arch rise outside her window. Paralyzed three times throughout her life, she defied the odds, walking when doctors thought she never would. And when she couldn't move, her mind soared-filling with ideas, crafts, music, and stories that she would bring to life with her own hands.

She was a woman who could do it all, and she did. She painted with the soul of an artist, tinkered with the curiosity of an inventor, and sewed with the precision of a master quiltmaker. Her leatherwork-wallets, belts and Bible covers were as sturdy as her spirit. As a butcher's apprentice to her parents, she learned the value of hard work, a lesson she carried through a lifetime of caring for others.

Doreen was more than just creative, she was a force. A lead singer in three bands, lovingly known as "Gidget" (often mistaken for Sally Fields), she played the accordion, sang in the choir, and later brought her musical heart into the family, singing karaoke with her grandkids. She wrote books, composed music, and ran her own business, Raelynn's Inspirations , where she crafted award-winning diaper cakes-if you could dream it, she could build it.

She married the love of her life, Clifford Clouser, in a Native American wedding ceremony atop Manataka Mountain. Together, they shared a love of hunting - Doreen never missed a shot - fishing and camping under the stars. Their bond was built on laughter, adventure, and an unshakable foundation of love.

But above all, Doreen was a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, mentor, and hero. She raised children before she was grown herself, ensuring that love was always abundant and no one ever left her home without a full heart. She was a Willow Creek Presbyterian Church member in Martinsville, IL. She taught Sunday School, was a rescuer of animals (including raising raccoons), was a disaster relief organizer, and was the nicknamer-in-chief-no one in her family was without a special name she had given them.

Her greatest accomplishments, she always said, were her children and grandchildren. She leaves behind a legacy in her children: Jared "Thomas Craft" Andrew & Carol Sills (Summerville, FL), Gina Faye GuyJean Gibson-Clouser & Nicholas Gibson (Martinsville, IL), and Darren Lee Clouser (Virginia Beach, VA); her siblings, Elizabeth Ginger, Earnest Foote, Sheryl Foote, and Carol Charneski; her stepbrothers Charles Barnes, Randy Barnes, and Steve Barnes; as well as nineteen grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews who adored her.

She is reunited in Heaven with her parents, her beloved husband Clifford; her daughter Julie LeaAnne Ulbricht; a child in infancy; her nephew Michael Hampton; her siblings Samuel Foote, Carl Foote, Vivian Durbin, and Candy Foote; her stepfather Charles Barnes; and her stepsisters Joyce Buchhorn (Barnes) and Pamela McKinsey (Barnes).

Doreen's life was a masterpiece of perseverance, love, and creativity. She taught us that limitations are just challenges to be conquered, that family is the greatest treasure, and that a little bit of crafting magic can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary.

Her laughter, wisdom, and boundless love will be deeply missed but forever remembered in the hearts of all who knew her.

A celebration of life will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 8th, at First Baptist Church of Martinsville, with Reverend Kevin Small officiating.