LADONNA BICKNESE CLUTTERBUCK

1930-2018

LaDonna Marie Bicknese Clutterbuck, 87, a wonderful and loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on January 9, 2018 in Houston, Texas with her husband and family around her. She was born on October 30, 1930 in Rochester, Minnesota to William and Hollis Bicknese. She grew up in the farming region of Wykoff, Minnesota and attended Macalaster College in St. Paul, from which she graduated in 1952.

After college, LaDonna moved to San Diego, California to begin her elementary school teaching career. There she met and married Don, her husband of 63 years, who was a Lieutenant in the US Navy at the time. After their wedding in 1954 and a year in San Diego, Don and LaDonna lived in Austin, Texas; Midland, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Del Rio, Texas; and Corpus Christi, Texas. In Austin and Corpus Christi, LaDonna taught first or second grade at a local elementary school. She touched many young lives during her time as a teacher, and recently received a kind and glowing remembrance from one of her students back in 1956.

In 1965, Don and LaDonna moved to Houston, Texas and lived there (with a one-year sojourn in Denver, Colorado) for the rest of their time together. LaDonna retired from teaching after moving to Houston, and devoted the rest of her life to her husband and raising her two sons, John and Jim. LaDonna was particularly proud of and devoted to her sons, who gave her much joy. With her boys, as with her students, she instructed them in her “Rules of Behavior”: 1) Is it Safe? 2) Is it Legal? 3) Is it Moral? 4) Is it Sensible? 5) Would your father kill you if you did it? The boys were more concerned about their mother’s reaction to their deeds than their father’s, and this kept them on the straight and narrow! She adored her boys and also took special pleasure in her grandchildren, all of whom grew up in Houston. LaDonna was an enthusiastic water skier for many years, mostly during family weekend trips to Lake Somerville and Lake Travis. She also enjoyed travel, cooking family meals, gin rummy, designing and decorating her comfortable homes, doing crosswords, dinner and dancing and family celebrations at the Petroleum Club, caring for her beloved standard poodle Sargent, and maintaining an immaculate house.

LaDonna was preceded in death by her parents and her daughter-in-law Shelley Clutterbuck. She is survived by her husband Donald and sons John Clutterbuck (wife Anne) and Jim Clutterbuck, and her beloved grandchildren Caroline, William, Miles and Zoe, all of Houston. She is also survived by her brother William Bicknese (wife Connie) of Wykoff, Minnesota and sister Carla Kaufmann (husband Raymond) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and nephews and nieces Steven, Marilyn, Nancy, and Joel; and Nicholas and Mary.

The family is deeply grateful to Lupe Ramos for her more than 40 years of service to the family and to LaDonna’s many wonderful caregivers at The Hallmark, particularly Patricia Zavallos, Joyce Pablo, Jasmine Bryan, and Roslyn Katz. A private memorial service will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Periwinkle Foundation, the Museum of Natural Science – Houston, or the charity of your choice.