Sheila Kathleen Clabaugh

The Northport Funeral & Cremation Service family extends our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Mrs. Sheila Kathleen Clabaugh, who passed away at the age of 82 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on May 11, 2026.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Austin S. Paul I and Beula (Dunn) Paul, and a brother, Norman (Marilyn) Paul of Urbana, IL.

Survivors include her husband, Maurice G. Clabaugh, Jr., her high school sweetheart, to whom she was married for 62 years, "forever together." Their children, Jason (Karen) Clabaugh, Marietta, GA., Jerod (Leigh Donaldson) Clabaugh, Charleston, SC., and Jenna (Todd) {Clabaugh} Dees, Huntsville, AL.; four grandchildren, Jonathan Hayne, Katherine, and Kimberly Clabaugh and Rylan Dees.

Ms. Clabaugh was born January 25, 1944, in Champion County, Urbana, IL. She was reared as the third generation on a property her paternal grandfather homesteaded.

She received a degree in Interior Design from the New York School of Design in 1970 and taught and consulted in her field while beginning her family. She returned to college at the age of 47 and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1995 Suma Cum Laude - on the same day her elder son also graduated from the University of Alabama.

She was a charter member of the I.M.P.A.C.T. breast cancer survivor group in Tuscaloosa, AL, and remained active with the organization in 2000. She was also active in Woodland Hills Garden Club, American Cancer Society - Reach to Recovery program, Tuscaloosa Christian Writers' Group, and St. Francis and Holy Spirit Catholic Churches.

Mrs. "C" was a creative person. She dabbled in oil painting, designed stained-glass windows, produced macro photographs that were incorporated into her greeting card business; she cultivated Japanese maple trees, and was an active creative writer. She published a history and collection of recipes honoring her children's great-grandmother.

She was a dedicated "life-long learner". She taught others to write letters, believing that recording one's history in letters was a good way to preserve the history around one for posterity and for their families. She created beautiful collages and needlework pieces. While in college, she collected original recordings of elder citizens who had made a great contribution to our local history. She enhanced cherished interior spaces and baked "awesome" banana bread and cookies. Those who knew her often heard her "credo" - "affirmation is the greatest gift we can give to one another and withholding it is our greatest sin." Friendships were dear to her, and she made them for a lifetime.

In her honor, please make charitable donations to either the Susan B. Coleman Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, or Hospice of West Alabama.

Compassionate, sympathetic, and professional service has been entrusted to the Northport Funeral & Cremation Service team.