George Clawson

George William Clawson
7/2/42 ~ 4/5/23
George William Clawson, (80), of Arleta, California, passed away on April 5, 2023, surrounded by his three children in a room filled with music and the love of his family and friends.
George, fondly known as Papa, was born to George Cushing Clawson and Dorothy Vera Clawson, in Merrillville, Indiana on July 2, 1942. After serving in the Army, he stayed in California where he met and then married the love of his life Carolyn in 1962, and they remained married until her death in 2009. He worked at the US Postal Service for 30 years and continued to be friends with many of his coworkers. He recently connected with many old high school friends and was a regular attendee at the annual Merrillville High reunion.
George was preceded in death by his loving wife Carolyn; parents George and Dorothy; and brother Darrell. George is survived by his son George Clawson Jr. and daughters Sheri Clawson (Chris Meredith) and Dawn Collins (Larry); his grandchildren, Brittany Williams, Judy Collins, Richard Williams, and Matthew Meredith, along with his sister-in-law Linda Sue (Jeff), nephews, Richard and Kyle, nieces Mariah (Dan) and Desiree (Dennis) and many great nieces and nephews.
George Started woodworking in high school and continued to hone his skills in building furniture throughout his life. He loved to vacation with his family; weekends in the desert or fishing at the local lakes and campgrounds in Southern California; spending many summers in Mammoth Lakes, adding different states each year to the sights he shared with his wife and kids. He enjoyed photographing the places he visited, especially NASCAR races in Sonoma and Big Tree forests in Northern California.
After Carolyn passed, Papa loved to travel across the country in his RV, visiting old friends, family and racetracks. He loved driving down the Texas country backroads searching for good BBQ when visiting Dawn and Larry. He enjoyed watching Dodger games, good TV, and especially Jeopardy with George Jr. He was a big fan of racing and enjoyed cheering on his son in law, Chris, at Ventura Raceway. George was a loving father and his family, especially his grandchildren, meant the world to him. He never met a stranger, hugged everyone, and was loved by all who knew him.
Despite spending much of his last few months in the hospital, he never lost his sense of humor. Throughout his entire journey, he cracked jokes with his children and even when he was unable to speak, he still found a way to share his sense of humor with all of those around him. His ability to make others smile and laugh will be greatly missed. His spirit will live on though, in the many Papa-isms that have been shared over the years.