Dorothy Jean Clouse

Dorothy Jean (Jackson) Clouse, 79, of Mansfield was born October 21, 1942, to Irene Webber Jackson and Edward Adrian Jackson in Purdy, Missouri. Following a six- year battle with cancer, she departed this life February 10th, 2022, at her home while being cared for by friends and family and the prayer support of a host of others. Dorothy left this world of pain and suffering and was taken to Heaven for her final healing.

The Jackson girls, Dorothy along with sisters, Shirley and Betty, were raised in the rocky hills of Barry County. They grew up poor but often said they didn’t even know it because everyone around them was poor too. After their father left, times were sometimes hard for Irene and the three young children. Dorothy often stated they would not have made it without Pa and Granny Webber who took them in for four years until they found housing. The family moved into a small two room home, without electricity, with the agreement that Irene, Dorothy’s mother, could live there for free but would be responsible for having wiring installed. This consisted of a single light bulb in each room and a couple of plug ins. In the summer time Dorothy and Shirley would sleep in the attic and listened to the rain hit the old tin roof. In the winter time, small amounts of snow would sometimes blow in as well. Victory School was less than a mile down the road where they attended elementary school and church services.

When strawberries, blackberries, huckleberries or wild grapes were in season they would pick and sell to make ends meet. Dorothy pointed out there was always plenty of poison ivy as well. Clothing, sewed by their mother, was made from feed sacks from the local feed store. They would try to pick out the softest material for the underclothes and their dresses would be make of three matching sacks.

In spite of their poor upbringing, the girls spent many hours making memories that were never forgotten. They had lots of fun riding down the hill wrapped up inside of old tires or swinging over the water on grape vines. They made mud pies and rode small saplings, taking care to pick a small one so it would bend all the way back to the ground to give them the best ride. They jumped out of haylofts and once convinced Shirley she could fly.
Bro. Winfield Poe encouraged the family to move to Ava, Missouri, for a Christian education. In 1954, Irene and the three girls moved to the Mt. Zion Bible School campus where Irene worked as school matron that first year and the girls attended school. Eventually all three girls graduated from Mt. Zion.

While attending Mt. Zion, Dorothy met and fell in love with Billy Lee Clouse. They were high school sweethearts who graduated together in 1959. Billy said that after dating for about three years, Dorothy mentioned maybe they ought to get married. He said he had thought about it and knew she was the one but had been awful busy. Billy had grown up on a dairy farm and in May of 1961, he purchased land near Mansfield, Missouri, with plans to take his twenty Holstein cows there to start a dairy farm. It took from May until August for the farmhouse to become available, so sometime around 9:00 PM on August 3, 1961, after the cows were milked, the couple met at Brush Arbor Church for a simple wedding ceremony. Their honeymoon was spent back at the farm where they have been for 60 plus years.

To this union four children were born who were raised to work hard, have morals and values, to be self -sufficient and to attend church and as Dorothy stated, they could have inherited some stubbornness from their mother. Running a dairy farm does not leave a lot of time for vacations but some memorable trips were to the Smokey Mountains and Yellowstone. Later, after things slowed down some, Billy and Dorothy enjoyed vacations with dear cousins, Roy and Sue Clouse. There were cruises, bus trips and election parties in Branson. Occasionally the families would get-together for canoe trips. They could fill up an entire yellow school bus with a lot of loud talking and laughing. Things changed when both Dorothy and Sue became ill. Shortly after, Sue went on to be with the Lord. The last visit they had together, Dorothy told Sue they would go ahead early, to get the mansions ready for the boys to move in…. AFTER their chores were done.

After Dorothy retired from her milking post and farm chores, she took a job at the Bank of Mansfield for almost 8 years and enjoyed the work and the special friends she made there.

Dorothy and Sue both enjoyed sewing for themselves and their families. In the early 70s, the girls wanted Pfaff sewing machines, which were considered top of the line. They went to Springfield and picked out the machines they wanted and then talked the boys into going and taking a look at them as well. Dorothy says “we even shed a few tears……. BUT we came home with the sewing machines we wanted.”

Dorothy enjoyed cooking, baking and taking the grandkids on trips and overnight stays in Branson. Most Sundays were spent with family gathered for a delicious home cooked meal. She also enjoyed planning surprise Thanksgiving dinner outings with her sister, Betty, for the Jackson side of the family.

Dorothy was saved at a young age but rededicated her life to Christ as a young married woman at Brush Arbor Church where she and her family attended from the late 1950s to present.

Dorothy is survived by her husband, Billy, of 60 plus years. Daughter, Regina Clouse of Nixa and her children Britney Shryer and husband Brad, Jonathan Sales and wife, Madison. Son, Rodney, and his wife, Lynda, of Ava, and their children, Lane and Erin Clouse. Daughter, Ramona Clouse, of Rogersville, and her children, Garrett and Tristin Cross. Daughter, Becky Fleming, and husband, Thomas, of Mansfield and their children Jessica, Elizabeth, Jackson and Colin. Great-grandchildren, Ava and Billie Shryer and Jensen Fleming.

Dorothy is also survived by her sister Betty Euliss-Wilkinson, as well as many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends and is preceded in death by her mother and her sister, Shirley Willis.

Dorothy always said “to make sure a job is done right, you better just do it yourself” so because of that, she had a large part in planning the service today and writing this obituary.