Anne C. Clouser

Our beloved Anne C. Clouser left this world peacefully on September 29, 2024, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born on May 16th, 1931, in Orange, New Jersey, during the Great Depression. Her parents, Scottish immigrants, Jean Henderson Sinclair and Harry Carstensen, voyaged from Scotland to America in 1930.  

Anne’s life was marked by selflessness, generosity, and love for others. 

In 1941, at the tender age of 10, she lost her mother to cancer. Her only brother Harry was drafted and sent to the European front, as the USA entered WWII. At home, Anne and her “Pop” had a victory garden, raised chickens, and continued as caretakers at the Fresh Air Camp in New Jersey for underprivileged children. 

Shortly after her mother died, her mother’s best friend Lillian took Anne during the summer to a mountain town, Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania. She fondly recalls staying in the White cottage in the Park and playing for hours in the Playhouse with her Princess Margaret doll, creating elaborate scripts and plays with fervent imagination. 

Anne called EM “her lifelong favorite place and the closest thing to heaven on earth.” 

As a teenager, Anne took a summer job as a waitress at the Forest Inn in EM. She met the love of her life, Paul Elmer Clouser, then the desk clerk. They courted and wrote letters for several years. They were married on June 13, 1953, at Pleasantdale Presbyterian Church, in West Orange, New Jersey. 

Anne valued education and pursued knowledge throughout her life. She took up two jobs during high school to save for her future. She won a $600 scholarship by writing an essay about why she wanted to be a nurse. That money paid for her nursing school tuition, uniforms, books and living expenses. She completed nursing school in 1952 at Orange Memorial Hospital, the same hospital where she was born. She then married Paul, and they moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he attended law school. She had their first child, Sandra Louise, in 1954. Anne supported the young family as a surgical nurse. 

Anne and Paul lived philanthropically as a couple. They raised four children. They built a life together grounded in strong morals and generosity, providing their children with a remarkable upbringing full of opportunities. They spent most of these years in Middletown, Pennsylvania, where Anne pursued many volunteer activities. She organized one of the first Meals on Wheels services in Dauphin County and began a friend of the arts program at Frey Village. She also graduated with honors from Penn State University in her 50’s with a second degree in education. 

Eagles Mere remained a special place to Anne throughout her life. She would be called upon by friends to help with ailing family members. She served with EMS in EM. 

She moved to Florida upon retirement and continued her volunteer work. She was a member of the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sun City Center, Florida, where she served as a pastoral assistant. She also served on the Emergency Squad as a Hospice volunteer as well as an elementary school volunteer. 

Anne is predeceased by her parents, Jean Henderson Sinclair and Harry Carstensen. Also, by her brother, Harry Carstensen, and husband Paul E. Clouser. She was welcomed into heaven by her eldest and beloved daughter, Sandra Louise Clouser. 

Three children survive Anne: Hilary Gilmore of Ligonier, Pennsylvania; Paul Clouser of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Vivian Faircloth of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. Six grandchildren also survive her: Ashley Allen, Chelsea Buckley and her husband Lewis Buckley, Benjamin Gilmore, Hannah Sagan, Emily Clouser, and Phoebe Gilmore.

She is survived by several nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. 

A Memorial Service to celebrate Anne and her wonderful life will be held in the springtime of 2025, in Eagles Mere, PA. 

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in memory of Anne to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 105 Braunlich Dr., Ste 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15237-3351 https://www.namikeystonepa.org or the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, PO Box 289, Canton, MA 02021. 

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA 18614. 

To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to homerfuneralhome.com.