How do you sum up the life of a very intelligent, interesting, vibrant person? A beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, granny, aunt, cousin, and friend. Words truly cannot do justice to Clara Anthony Adkison, who passed away on February 27, 2026, just days after celebrating her 88th birthday.
Clara was born on February 23, 1938, in Bald Hill, Texas. She grew up on a farm in Central Heights, Texas, outside of Nacogdoches, surrounded by three siblings she adored, a father who loved and doted on her, and a kind and intelligent mother who instilled in her a love of learning, an appreciation for hard work, faith in God, and the importance of treating others well and knowing right from wrong. Both sets of grandparents lived nearby, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Clara grew up in a simpler time. In her early years there was no running water, telephone, or car, but Clara would say she never felt she lacked for anything and remembered her childhood as an extremely happy one.
She loved telling stories from those years. As she got older, anyone who spent time with her likely heard the same stories many times over—but it was obvious that recalling those people and moments brought her great happiness. Among her favorites were stories of her brother Joe looking out for her and making sure no one mistreated “Gooty,” her neighbor Helen who let Clara play in her makeup, and the treasured time she spent at her Granny and Grandpa Jay’s house.
Clara often said she had the best Granny in the world, and she hoped to give her own grandchildren a taste of that same experience: a Granny who adored them and was a lot of fun to be with.
Faith was an important part of Clara’s upbringing. Her father served as a church elder, and both of her grandfathers were preachers. That foundation shaped much of how she approached life.
Clara met her future husband when she was just 17 years old. A friend brought Doyal to see a church talent show where Clara and her friend Bobbie Ruth Stevens performed a skit. About six years later, on February 18, 1961, just days before Clara turned 23, she and Clifford Doyal Adkison were married.
Clara and Doyal began their life together in Houston. They raised their family in Jersey Village, a suburb of Houston. In 1989, when Doyal retired, they returned to East Texas and lived on their beloved 20-acre Pondarosa farm in Lufkin, Texas, where Clara would spend 35+ happy years. After Doyal passed away Clara relocated to Cape Royale in 2023 to be near her children.
Clara was the definition of a devoted wife. She took that role seriously and taught her children that love is an action verb. Nowhere was this more evident than in the tender care she gave her husband in the final years of his life.
Clara and Doyal shared a strong friendship and genuinely enjoyed spending time together. For years they began their mornings at 6 a.m. walking at the Lufkin Mall. Along the way they made friends with other regular mall walkers and quietly invented nicknames for them. Clara loved to make people laugh, and some of the hardest laughter her husband ever shared came from those conversations.
Clara poured herself into creating a warm and welcoming home. Although she did not work outside the home, she was always looking for ways to contribute to her family. She raised vegetables in a large backyard garden, starched and ironed her husband’s shirts to save on dry cleaning, and made dresses for her daughter when she was young. She took her children to church and tried to teach them right from wrong.
She was deeply interested in cooking and baking and approached it with the curiosity and determination of a lifelong learner. In her quest to recreate her Granny’s biscuits, Clara made batch after batch, carefully documenting small adjustments until she achieved the perfect result—a recipe her family will always cherish.
She baked cookies from scratch and firmly believed that if you were going to go to the trouble of baking, you should always use butter, never margarine. She later became an avid bread maker, even ordering whole wheat grains and grinding her own flour with a home mill.
Her children grew up coming home from school many days to the smell of bread fresh from the oven. Friends were always welcome, and Clara wanted them to feel comfortable in her home.
Clara had many interests and an energetic curiosity about life. Their home reflected that individuality. It may have been the only house in the neighborhood with a half-acre vegetable garden in the backyard and a five-foot-wide loom in the living room.
Clara discovered weaving in the late 1970s, and it became a lifelong love. She spent many happy hours in her “Little House” behind her home in Lufkin designing and creating beautiful rugs, napkins, placemats, and table runners, which she loved giving away to the people she cared about.
She was also unmistakably herself in other ways. Clara was sweet and kind but absolutely no pushover. She had little tolerance for slow walkers, slow drivers, or anyone who didn’t seem to be propelling forward.
In later years Clara faced a gradual decline, slowly losing pieces of the vibrant woman she had once been. But even then, her personality, sense of humor and love of laughter shone through.
Clara’s family is grateful they got to celebrate her 88th birthday with her, and that her final days were happy ones.
She passed away peacefully on February 27, 2026, while all three of her beloved grandchildren held her hands as they listened to a song she often played for them during childhood sleepovers: “Dear Lord, Take My Hand” by The Maddox Brothers and Rose.
Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Foster Howard Anthony and Evie Jewel (Self) Anthony; her beloved siblings Doris Stripling, Joe Anthony, and Lamar Anthony; and her devoted husband of sixty years, Clifford Doyal Adkison.
She is survived by her children, David Adkison and his wife Laura, and Carol Siver and her husband Shannon; her three adored grandchildren, Sara Adkison, Jenna Bishop, and Jonathan Bishop; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins whom she dearly loved.
Clara’s life was defined by devotion to family, hard work, humor, curiosity, and love. She leaves behind not only memories but stories—stories that will continue to be told around family tables and shared with future generations.
And in those stories, Clara will remain exactly as she always was: vibrant, interesting, entertaining, loving, and completely, wonderfully herself.
Pallbearers honoring Clara will be Jay Anthony, Tommy Anthony, Travis Christian, Bryan Christian, Doug Christian, and Farron Christian.
The funeral service honoring Clara Adkison will be livestreamed via the Coldspring Methodist Church app and on the Coldspring Methodist Church Facebook page.
Following the service, the family warmly invites those in attendance to join them for a luncheon hosted by the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations to the Winnie Berry Humane Society in honor of Clara’s love and compassion for animals.
Clara was born on February 23, 1938, in Bald Hill, Texas. She grew up on a farm in Central Heights, Texas, outside of Nacogdoches, surrounded by three siblings she adored, a father who loved and doted on her, and a kind and intelligent mother who instilled in her a love of learning, an appreciation for hard work, faith in God, and the importance of treating others well and knowing right from wrong. Both sets of grandparents lived nearby, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Clara grew up in a simpler time. In her early years there was no running water, telephone, or car, but Clara would say she never felt she lacked for anything and remembered her childhood as an extremely happy one.
She loved telling stories from those years. As she got older, anyone who spent time with her likely heard the same stories many times over—but it was obvious that recalling those people and moments brought her great happiness. Among her favorites were stories of her brother Joe looking out for her and making sure no one mistreated “Gooty,” her neighbor Helen who let Clara play in her makeup, and the treasured time she spent at her Granny and Grandpa Jay’s house.
Clara often said she had the best Granny in the world, and she hoped to give her own grandchildren a taste of that same experience: a Granny who adored them and was a lot of fun to be with.
Faith was an important part of Clara’s upbringing. Her father served as a church elder, and both of her grandfathers were preachers. That foundation shaped much of how she approached life.
Clara met her future husband when she was just 17 years old. A friend brought Doyal to see a church talent show where Clara and her friend Bobbie Ruth Stevens performed a skit. About six years later, on February 18, 1961, just days before Clara turned 23, she and Clifford Doyal Adkison were married.
Clara and Doyal began their life together in Houston. They raised their family in Jersey Village, a suburb of Houston. In 1989, when Doyal retired, they returned to East Texas and lived on their beloved 20-acre Pondarosa farm in Lufkin, Texas, where Clara would spend 35+ happy years. After Doyal passed away Clara relocated to Cape Royale in 2023 to be near her children.
Clara was the definition of a devoted wife. She took that role seriously and taught her children that love is an action verb. Nowhere was this more evident than in the tender care she gave her husband in the final years of his life.
Clara and Doyal shared a strong friendship and genuinely enjoyed spending time together. For years they began their mornings at 6 a.m. walking at the Lufkin Mall. Along the way they made friends with other regular mall walkers and quietly invented nicknames for them. Clara loved to make people laugh, and some of the hardest laughter her husband ever shared came from those conversations.
Clara poured herself into creating a warm and welcoming home. Although she did not work outside the home, she was always looking for ways to contribute to her family. She raised vegetables in a large backyard garden, starched and ironed her husband’s shirts to save on dry cleaning, and made dresses for her daughter when she was young. She took her children to church and tried to teach them right from wrong.
She was deeply interested in cooking and baking and approached it with the curiosity and determination of a lifelong learner. In her quest to recreate her Granny’s biscuits, Clara made batch after batch, carefully documenting small adjustments until she achieved the perfect result—a recipe her family will always cherish.
She baked cookies from scratch and firmly believed that if you were going to go to the trouble of baking, you should always use butter, never margarine. She later became an avid bread maker, even ordering whole wheat grains and grinding her own flour with a home mill.
Her children grew up coming home from school many days to the smell of bread fresh from the oven. Friends were always welcome, and Clara wanted them to feel comfortable in her home.
Clara had many interests and an energetic curiosity about life. Their home reflected that individuality. It may have been the only house in the neighborhood with a half-acre vegetable garden in the backyard and a five-foot-wide loom in the living room.
Clara discovered weaving in the late 1970s, and it became a lifelong love. She spent many happy hours in her “Little House” behind her home in Lufkin designing and creating beautiful rugs, napkins, placemats, and table runners, which she loved giving away to the people she cared about.
She was also unmistakably herself in other ways. Clara was sweet and kind but absolutely no pushover. She had little tolerance for slow walkers, slow drivers, or anyone who didn’t seem to be propelling forward.
In later years Clara faced a gradual decline, slowly losing pieces of the vibrant woman she had once been. But even then, her personality, sense of humor and love of laughter shone through.
Clara’s family is grateful they got to celebrate her 88th birthday with her, and that her final days were happy ones.
She passed away peacefully on February 27, 2026, while all three of her beloved grandchildren held her hands as they listened to a song she often played for them during childhood sleepovers: “Dear Lord, Take My Hand” by The Maddox Brothers and Rose.
Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Foster Howard Anthony and Evie Jewel (Self) Anthony; her beloved siblings Doris Stripling, Joe Anthony, and Lamar Anthony; and her devoted husband of sixty years, Clifford Doyal Adkison.
She is survived by her children, David Adkison and his wife Laura, and Carol Siver and her husband Shannon; her three adored grandchildren, Sara Adkison, Jenna Bishop, and Jonathan Bishop; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins whom she dearly loved.
Clara’s life was defined by devotion to family, hard work, humor, curiosity, and love. She leaves behind not only memories but stories—stories that will continue to be told around family tables and shared with future generations.
And in those stories, Clara will remain exactly as she always was: vibrant, interesting, entertaining, loving, and completely, wonderfully herself.
Pallbearers honoring Clara will be Jay Anthony, Tommy Anthony, Travis Christian, Bryan Christian, Doug Christian, and Farron Christian.
The funeral service honoring Clara Adkison will be livestreamed via the Coldspring Methodist Church app and on the Coldspring Methodist Church Facebook page.
Following the service, the family warmly invites those in attendance to join them for a luncheon hosted by the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations to the Winnie Berry Humane Society in honor of Clara’s love and compassion for animals.