On June 8, 2023, at the age of 90, Clayton Douglas (aka Doug) Clanin transitioned from this earth into the arms of his Lord Jesus Christ. A Visitation will be held at Croxford Funeral Home on Monday, June 19, 2023 from 5-7PM. A Funeral Service will follow on Tuesday, June, 20, 2023 at 11am in the Rose Room Chapel.
Doug was born June 22, 1932 in Glendale, CA to Clayton and Marjorie (Stevenson) Clanin. He was their only child. After a few months, the family moved back to Marjorie’s hometown on the Crow Indian reservation of Lodge Grass, Montana where Doug grew up fishing, riding horses, and swimming in the Little Big Horn River. Doug earned the prestigious award of Eagle Scout in his teens and never forgot the scout motto of “Be Prepared”. In high school, with a class of only 15, he was involved in a variety of activities including band, football, basketball, track, “L” Club, drama, and served as the Senior Class President. He graduated from Lodge Grass High School in 1951. Until the end, Doug looked fondly back on his young life in Lodge Grass and treasured his rich Montana heritage.
After high school, Doug briefly attended Rocky Mountain College but due to financial hardship returned to Lodge Grass to work as a ranch hand for the Dry Well Ranch. In 1952, Doug was drafted into the Army and proudly served as a military policeman at Sandia Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico. After being honorably discharged in 1954 he completed his bachelor’s degree from Rocky Mountain College in 1957. After graduating Doug moved to Roundup, Montana for his first Industrial Arts teaching position and went on to pursue a master’s degree at Northern University of Colorado in Greeley, Colorado during the summers.
One fateful Sunday in 1958 he decided to go to church with a friend and met the love of his life, Rachel Ann Perkins. Doug and Rachel married in Greeley in 1959 and had their first child, Janice Colleen in 1960. In the fall of 1960, the family moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, where Doug obtained a teaching position at Sheridan High School. In 1961, their second daughter, Marcia Kay was born.
The family lived in Sheridan until the summer of 1967 when Doug was offered a teaching position in the Great Falls Public School District as an Industrial Arts teacher at East Middle School. For almost 50 years, Doug, known by hundreds of past students as “Mr. Clanin”, taught woodworking at East Middle School, North Middle School and CM Russell High School. He was also a driver’s education instructor during much his tenure. Aside from being a public school educator, Doug was also a teacher and student of the Bible. He and his family have attended the Great Falls Church of Christ for over 55 years where he served in a leadership role for several of those years.
Doug’s love of the outdoors was undeniable. He was happiest on the Missouri River in the early morning hours waiting for the fish to start jumping. Doug was a purist. He found joy in simple pleasures like mowing the lawn on the diagonal, catching a nap in the backyard hammock, playing a game of cribbage, and making chokecherry syrup. He was quite an accomplished craftsman. He built two iconic birch strip canoes that bear native american names as a tribute to his upbringing on the Crow reservation, turned many pieces of wood furniture, tooled leather, and learned to tie flies like the wooly bugger and such. Aside from all these attributes his legacy will survive generations because of his devotion to his family and his faith.
Doug is survived by his wife of 63 years, Rachel Clanin, daughters Colleen Clanin and Marcia (Don) Baulch, grandchildren Madison (Chris) Wall and Connor (Amber) Longust, and three great grandchildren
who all bear his family name, McKinley ( Doug’s grandma’s maiden name) Wall, Levi Clayton Longust, and Clayton Michael Wall.
The family would like to thank the members of the Church of Christ for their Christ-like love of Doug and Rachel, the staff of Benefis Eastview for the continuous care of Doug over the last couple of years, Benefis Peace Hospice and the No One Dies Alone Foundation for their compassionate care and companionship over his last few days.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
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