Claudine Mae Rader was born September 16, 1932 in West Virginia to Raymond & Ruby Arthur. She and her husband Arnold, who preceded her in death, had seven children, Cheryl, Darrell, Deborah, Karen, Arnold, Arlene and Loren (Tom). They lived on a farm in Mt. Carmel, Indiana. They also had 16 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Claudine impacted everyone she met. She passionately served her community, loved her church, and believed in the power and the importance of family.
Claudine worked at Sperry Rubber & Plastics as a Quality Control Inspector where she retired after 29 years with the company. She was a very community-minded individual who dedicated her life to serving her neighbors. She was a member of the Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women, Brookville Kiwanis Club, Franklin County Republican Women’s Club, the Red Hats Club, Franklin County Farm Bureau, American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, and the Springfield Township Women’s Club. She served on the Mt. Carmel Cemetery Board, Franklin County Board of Elections, Franklin County United Way, as well as Franklin County Relay for Life. She volunteered for the Franklin County EMS for over 28 years. Even with her involvement with all of these organizations, she still made time to enjoy crocheting, flower gardening, traveling and cooking.
Claudine passed away February 24, 2018 at the age of 85. She will be greatly missed by family, friends and members of the organizations on which she served. To carry on her legacy and honor her memory, family members have established the Claudine Rader Scholarship for Outstanding Citizens within the Franklin County Community Foundation. The scholarship was created to award a student who cares about their community and gives back to their neighbors the way she did. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating Franklin County High School student who plans to attend a two or four-year college and who has a minimum 3.0 GPA. The student must have at least 50 volunteer/community service hours during the year prior to applying and must write a one-page essay describing their efforts to improve/better their community. Primary consideration will be given to students entering a degree program related to science, social services or agriculture.