Lorraine G. Claybaugh

Tucson treasure Lorraine Claybaugh comes home to rest with her husband Charles “Wayne” Claybaugh at the amazing age of 99. Evah Lorraine Gray was born in Sullivan, Indiana on July 30, 1921. She grew up in Indiana near the border of Illinois overlooking the Wabash River. She left the Midwest in 1938 when her true love, Charles Wainright “Wayne” Claybaugh (b. 10/6/1912), returned from working in Arizona to visit his relatives. They fell deeply in love after he realized that she had grown into a beautiful young woman while he had been away and were married on June 11, 1938, After the wedding, the couple honeymooned on a cross country trip back to Arizona, where they then fell in love with Tucson. Three of their six children were born at The Stork’s Nest, an out-of-hospital birth center in Tucson. With WWII going in full force Wayne, concerned about being drafted insisted that the family move back to the Midwest to be near Lorraine’s extended family. Lorraine loved Tucson and did not want to leave her beloved home, but she agreed to settle in Salem, Illinois in a house she designed and Wayne built. She was very proud of her architectural design skills, and the family created many happy memories in their new home. After all of their children graduated high school, the couple returned to Tucson where their hearts belonged.

Lorraine possessed many talents that she shared with those around her. She loved to sew and garden. Her grandchildren fondly remember eating fig bread made from her own carefully tended fig tree and picking lemons from the tree in the backyard. She enjoyed macramé and making afghans for relatives. She was a gifted painter and many members of her family still treasure the precious woodworking gifts made by Wayne and painted by Lorraine. Lorraine loved music and poetry and often wrote beautiful poems of her own. She was an intellectual who appreciated a good debate about current affairs and was strong in her opinions yet respectful in her delivery. She was not afraid to tell those who had different beliefs that she did not agree with them. They may have even gotten a “mind your own business” from time to time. She was a prolific storyteller with a wonderful memory, of which anyone who spent a few hours with her can attest. She was a woman who valued family and friends. To be with her was to be in a comfortable safe place... with an occasional sonic boom from the jets flying over from Davis Monthan AFB! Lorraine and Wayne’s home was always “home base” for their children and grandchildren. She loved their visits and often remarked “I wish you could stay longer.” She was proud of all of “her people” as they grew, moved away, and developed successful lives.

After losing Wayne in 1999, Lorraine stayed in Tucson where there were always good memories, people visiting and taking care of her, and connection to her family and her past. In 2015, she moved to Denver and brought joy to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who cherished the time they spent with her. She then returned to Southern Illinois in the care of her beloved youngest son John and daughter-in-law Sharon, near grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A woman who enjoyed being connected to the world, Lorraine spent time on her computer often sending emails to her children and grandchildren, posting comments to all her friends’ Facebook posts, and catching up on the news. Lorraine overcame various challenges as a child and young adult, which inspired her to treat others like they were special. She loved all of her children, their children, and then their children. As she writes in her poem Immortality, she will truly be immortal as her love and caring example lives on in those she leaves behind.

Lorraine and Charles Wainright (Wayne) Claybaugh (d. 12/12/1999) had six children: Karen Sue Claybaugh Kelter (b. 1939), Elaine Sieh Hall (b. 1941) [spouse Mike], Charles Wainright Claybaugh (b 1943, d. 2012), Glenna Dean Claybaugh Denman (b. 1945) [spouse Bill], Kenneth Lee Claybaugh (b. 1946) [spouse Jennie], and John Thomas Claybaugh (b, 1948) [spouse Sharon]. Her immortality carries on through her 13 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and 15 great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by one of her 5 siblings Nadine Hodge Spinner of Centralia, IL and her extended family, including 5 nieces and 6 nephews. Her memory will always be a blessing to all who knew her. May she rest in peace accompanied by her beloved husband and son.