Sunny Clouser

December 31, 1944 - January 8, 2015

Sunny Lou Clouser of Madisonville, TX, died tragically on January 8th, 2015 at the age of 70.

Sunny is survived by her mother, Laura Phillips; her husband, Marshall Clouser; her children, Eddie and Kat; her son-in-law, Travis Hunt; her sister, Raedean Woodyard and her children, Courtnie Mercer and Josh Woodyard; and her brother, Edward Phillips and his children, Shanna Rixon and Ross Phillips.

Sunny dedicated her life to her family, and there were no limitations to the efforts she made to provide her children a fulfilling childhood and adulthood. She found the most joy in bringing happiness to those around her, and her kind heart extended to any animal in need she came across.

A biography written by Sunny herself was discovered by her family shortly after her death, which captures her life as she saw it. In honor of her, her family has chosen to publish this document in place of a traditional obituary:

I was born in Del Rio, Texas, slightly less than two hours before midnight, on the last day of the year 1944. I guess that I started out "a day late and a dollar short" (old West Texas expression), since the first baby of 1945 received a large number of very nice gifts and a photo in the paper. Other than a tax deduction for my parents, the arrival of the last baby of 1944 didn't cause much of an impact on the community. Nothing has ever come easy for me, but somewhere in my mixed-up ancestry (English, Irish, German, Dutch, and even a little Cherokee Indian), there is a hard-headed gene, and some would say I got more than my share. I have always been opinionated and determined (my family usually referred to it as stubborn), and I have always worked hard to achieve my goals. After my parents divorced, I was raised by my maternal grandmother (Laura "Mimy" Burk), who inherited more than her share of that particular gene as well. I can say that her job was pretty easy for a while, because I was a very quiet, shy, and compliant child. Around the second grade, that changed dramatically, as my own independence began to emerge. I truly believe that much of my new-found self-esteem and confidence resulted from the discovery that I could sing, and others enjoyed hearing me. For the first time in my life, I felt truly good about myself. That is why I am so passionate about providing opportunities for others, especially children and youth, to be involved in cultural arts activities. In my opinion, nothing fosters self-esteem like receiving praise for accomplishments and being proud of what you have created. Whether art is expressed through music, dancing, singing, writing, painting, photography, or any other area, it is a positive experience, and possibly for others, like me; life changing.

I attended Del Rio schools through the seventh grade and then moved to El Paso to live with my mother, step-father, brother Ed (4 ½ years younger) and sister Raedean (12 years younger). I attended Bel Air High School, in the Ysleta District. It was in its second year, so most of the students were new to each other, and that made the transition easier. I graduated second in a class of approximately 350. My college route took a lots of bends and twists, beginning at the University of Houston at night school in 1965 while working during the day, and finally ending with my graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching from Sam Houston State University in 1971.

Since arriving in Madisonville as a young bride in 1967, I have been active in many church and community service activities. I served as president of the Madison County Hospital Auxiliary, the Alpha Mu Chi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, Madisonville PTO, Madison County Arts Council, Madisonville Community Theatre, Madisonville Downtown Area Merchants Association, and most recently, the 2011 and 2012 Texas Mushroom Festivals. I revived the tee-ball and soccer programs when my children were younger and ran both while my children were playing. I was active in youth baseball as a sponsor and "team mom." I served as coordinator for girls' softball for several years. I served on the Madison County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for several years, and am honored to have been selected as Chamber of Commerce "Woman of the Year."

Along with a wonderful and dedicated organizing group, I am pleased and gratified to say that I was instrumental in the founding of the Madison County Arts Council and the development of its most ambitious project, the Madisonville Community Theatre.

I have always been an over-achiever, working twice as hard as those far more gifted in various areas, to achieve the same or even better results, because I was well, hard-headed. I am extremely competitive, love challenges, and will work to exhaustion to complete a project. I am a true perfectionist, and I know that I drive others crazy with my concerns about minor details. It is hard for me to delegate responsibility, and extremely hard to allow others be the "Chief." I am discovering, in my more mature years, however, that I can let others be in charge, and that sometimes it is okay to just follow directions, rather than to give them. Whether I have truly wised up or am just "worn out", I consider this a positive sign.

I am passionate about many things: my family, my faith, my community, my pets, and of course, everything artistic. I love performing and enjoy and appreciate the performances of others. I am artistically challenged in the visual arts area, and yes, I confess to being envious. I love to write, especially really stupid poetry that has to rhyme. I love to write stories and articles, and I am a voracious reader, particularly legal thrillers, detective stories, murder mysteries, etc., probably because they do not require a lot of thought and little emotional involvement, and they help my brain take a short vacation.

I have shared my life and my home with animals all of my life. I cannot imagine how anyone could abuse or neglect them. Although right now, we have far too many "inside" cats due to health issues which prevent them from going outside, we love and enjoy them. Thankfully, my husband loves animals too, and we have rescued countless dogs and cats over the years and provided medical and emotional support. My adult children have also adopted and rescued several animals, so I guess it has been passed on to them.

A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Madisonville on Wednesday, January 14th at 2pm. A visitation will be held to honor her from 5-7pm on Tuesday, January 13th at the Kimbro Center in Madisonville (111 W. Trinity).

For those who wish to honor Sunny's memory, the Clouser family asks that donations be made to one of the following organizations in lieu of flowers:

MCISD: Attention Scott Singletary

Sunny Clouser Scholarship Fund

PO Box 879

Madisonville, TX 77864

(*make check payable to MCISD; list Sunny Clouser Scholarship on memo line)

Madisonville Animal Shelter

Attention: Chuck May or Amy Nash

210 W. Cottonwood

Madisonville, TX 77864

Madisonville Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.