Clarice Ann Sloan

The nurturing love and concern of a mother never ends, and so it was in the life of Clarice Sloan. Clarice was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother to those entrusted to her care. Although she appreciated her alone time, Clarice enjoyed time spent with her beloved family and she did so with a love all her own. Deeply missed, her heart lives on in those she leaves behind.

By 1935, life was greatly defined by the trials of the Great Depression, yet Americans forged on with lasting hope. President Teddy Roosevelt was re-elected to a second term while Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire danced their way into the hearts of many. Born on December 30, 1935, in the village of Antwerp, Ohio along the Maumee River, Clarice was the only child of Gillis and Madel(Muir) Jackson.

The Jackson family moved often, and as a young girl, it was especially hard for Clarice to make any lasting friendships. Even so, Clarice was a tough tomboy at heart and enjoyed sports. Although organized participation in school sports for girls was unheard of back then, Clarice learned to stand on her own against the boys. She attended the local schools and enjoyed playing basketball with her fellow classmates and friends.

When the family lived in Ohio andClarice was 18 years old sadly, her mother died of cancer.No less a terrible loss for their family, just 2 years later when Clarice wasonly 20 years old her father died tragically when his semi got stuck on railroad tracks and was hit by a train in Wisconsin.The loss of both parents waslife changing for Clarice especially since she was an only child.

Having received her GED, Clarice eventually welcomed the birth of her four children. Debbie and Terry came along while she lived in Ohio, and Gillis and Robbin were born after she moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. She made the move to be closer to her step-mother who had a cottage home on Knapp Lake, located in western Noble County of Indiana.

Clarice worked hard at her job as a laborer with General Electric in Ft. Wayne. With four mouths to feed and the desire to improve her abilities, she began attending college classes. With new skills under her belt and in the nearly 30 years she worked for GE, Clarice advanced from factory worker and moved into administration and accounting. When eventually retiring in 1992, Clarice had been serving the company as an executive secretary.

During this time in Clarices life she came to discover a deep, abiding love. One evening in 1963, Clarice agreed to meet up with one of her friends and her boyfriend for a quick bite to eat during her dinner break from work. Her friends boyfriend just happened to bring his buddy, Dudley Sloan along, and Clarices heart was never the same. She and Dudley soon began dating, and on April 8, 1965, in Ft. Wayne, they shared vows of marriage. On the heels of a ready-made family, Dudley lovingly took on Clarices children as his own.

The newlyweds moved from Ft. Wayne to south of Columbia City to their current home in 1973. Along with making a good home for Dudley and her children, Clarice enjoyed gardening, playing badminton, bag toss, and euchre. She also loved doting on their farm animals, dogs, and even Skipper, their pet Kapusta monkey she spotted at one of the local pet shops. Later when her daughter, Robbin got an adorable little Sheltie, Clarice absolutely fell in love with the dog. She soon had one herself, and in time she came to have a total of three Shelties including Shannon, Cody, and Bandit.Not Shelties, her dogsCoco, and Lola who was her baby were also beloved by Clarice.She also rescued a frozen cat in the early 2000s. She nursed Wheezer back to health and became one of her beloved feline companions.

While working at GE, Clarice was a part of the Elex Club. She loved this group of co-workers and they enjoyed great times together. They took bus trips as a group which sometimes even included their families. After Clarice and Dudley both retired, they loved nothing more than sharing their love for camping and fishing. They purchased a fifth wheel and spent weeks at a time each month down at Lake Cumberland near Albany, Kentucky where Dudley was originally from. For over the past 15 years, they enjoyed their summers there.

Clarice was an avid football fan. She liked watching football, and each year when it was time for the Superbowl, Clarice wrote down each team on a bracket and kept track until the end. She favored the Chicago Bears, but besides the NFL, Clarice also liked watching golf. In addition to liking crime shows, Clarice was into game shows like Family Feud, The Wheel of Fortune, and about anything on the Game Show Network. When it came to the game show, Jeopardy! however, everyone knew well not to shout out the answer to her! Music was another love of Clarices. When she bought her car with Sirius XM Radio installed, Clarice was overjoyed to be able to listen to Willies Roadhouse and other favorite classics.

As much as she loved her family, Clarice needed her alone time. Having grown up an only child and for having moved so often, it was sometimes difficult for Clarice to have close friends so she became accustomed to doing things alone. Although she and Dudley so enjoyed their time together, they shared the best of times doing the things they loved best. Unfortunately for Clarice, tragedy struck her life again on April 23, 1984. Life was never to be the same for her after her son, Gillis, who she had named after her father, was also struck by a train and killed.

A loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Clarice Sloan was loved abundantly. A wonderful woman to know and love, she was just as genuine as she was honest. She possessed a great sense of humor, and although she never liked ruffling anyones feathers, she was also just as set in her ways. Gone yet never to be forgotten are the treasured memories she leaves behind.

Clarice A. Sloan, 80, of Columbia City, Indana, passed away at 2:23 a.m. Monday, August 22, 2016 at her home. Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Dudley Sloan; children, Debbie (Raymond) Dugan, of Woodburn, Terry (Francine) Weaver, of Albany, Kentucky and Robbin (Stephen) Rice of Ft. Wayne; six grandchildren, Dudley Clark, Catherine Sanders, Dawn Muller, David Clark, Kristine Kelly, and Terry Gillis Weaver; and 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, of Gillis and MadelJackson; and son, Gillis W. Arend.

Visitation with Clarices family will be held from 3-8 p.m. Friday, August 26, 2016 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home with Chaplin T.J. Walker officiating. Following services at the funeral home, she will be laid to rest next to her son at Oak Grove (Compton) Cemetery. Memorials may be made in her memory to either Visiting Nurse Hospice Home or Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana. To share a favorite memory or photo of Clarice, sign her online guest book or to send her family condolences, please visit www.demoneygrimes.com .