Howard Lee "Howie" Claussen

Howard Lee “Howie” Claussen, 62, of Springfield, IL passed away at Memorial Medical Center on

Thursday, February 9, 2023. He was born in Springfield, IL to Powell David “Pete” and Beverly “Jo”
(Severns) Claussen on March 24, 1960.
Howie is survived by his Father, Pete; children, Kelsi (Jonathan) Beatty of Andrew, IL, Adam (Cari)
Claussen of Sherman; grandchildren, Damian, Donavan, Connor, Clara; girlfriend, Sandy O’Brien of
Springfield, IL; siblings, Bret (Barbara) Claussen of Morganton, NC David Claussen (Angela Kats) of
Petersburg, IL, and Lisa (Mike Watson) Cowin of Kilbourne, IL. He was preceded in death by his Mother,
Jo; and two brothers, Russell Martin “Marty” Claussen and Bryon Claussen.
Howie worked with his father and brothers in the family business until he moved on to work for
companies like Mel-O-Cream and a few others before starting his own business, Claussen Welding. He
loved spending time in his shop, working on big big big jobs, or mostly just hanging out having a
Budweiser while listening to classic rock with family and friends. Howie enjoyed spending time outdoors
riding his motorcycle, camping, and especially mushroom hunting with his son and grandsons.
If you ever met Howie, you never forgot him. He was one of a kind. He had an immense amount of
knowledge and could fix just about anything. He took pride in his work and it showed. He made an
impact on a lot of peoples lives, which you could tell just by the amazing turn out for his benefit.
Howie loved building (and wrecking) trucks. His pride and joy was when he restored a 1972 red Chevy
pickup truck. He showed this truck at the Convention Center in Springfield, IL and won 2nd place in the
80’s. In his memory, his son and grandchildren are going to finish building his recent 1972 truck that he
was unable to finish.
There will be a private family memorial service held for Howie at Hurley Funeral Home in Petersburg.
Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held on March 25th, 2023 at
1:00pm at the Sherman Athletic Club in Sherman, IL. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be left for the family at ww.hurleyfh.com
Hurley Funeral Home in Petersburg, IL is assisting the family with arrangements.