Stanford alumni sisters, remembered for their kindness, killed in deadly Tahoe avalanche

Sisters Liz Clabaugh ’95 and Caroline Sekar ’03 were among nine victims killed in a Sierra Nevada avalanche on Feb. 17. 

Clabaugh and Sekar were among a group of eight friends taking a three-day trip, six of whom were victims in the avalanche — the U.S.’s deadliest since 1981. The friends were an avid group of explorers who connected over a shared passion for the outdoors and skied together regularly.

“Kind and gentle”: Remembering Liz Clabaugh ’95

Traci Young ’95 knew Clabaugh since pre-school, having grown up with her in Pacific Palisades, CA. They attended the same schools before Clabaugh’s family moved to Vashon Island, WA during high school.

“It was like worlds colliding,” Young said, reminiscing about the first time she saw Clabaugh on campus. “We’ve known each other for so long…There was always a connection of shared experiences.”

Stefanie Sobelle ’95 is another friend from Clabaugh’s childhood, having known her since first grade. Sobelle recalled that Clabaugh, who went by Muffy as a child, led with kindness and respect throughout her life.

“I remember her smile [and] the way she would say hello, which was always a sort of very inviting, warm way,” Sobelle said. “She had this quiet way about her that made you feel like you could tell her things.”

Clabaugh, a human biology major, held a deep passion for the outdoors and took several trips during her time at Stanford. According to the alumni directory, Clabaugh was a member of Stanford’s varsity sailing team.

Kevin Madden ’95 first met Clabaugh in various core curriculum courses as a fellow human biology major. The two took courses together in their sophomore year and later bonded over a love of nature. He remembered her for her inclusive spirit and how she “never needed to be the center of attention.”

“You always felt like you were welcomed, and she was genuinely interested in who you were, and honestly, probably the most genuinely kind and gentle person I met in my years at Stanford,” Madden said.

While at Stanford, the pair took several skiing and rock climbing trips to Lake Tahoe together alongside other friends, including Clabaugh’s husband, Jeffrey Johnson ’95 M.S. ’96. Madden remembered bonding over nature together, appreciating moments like sleeping under the stars.

“The fact that she continued her life around the outdoors, and being in the mountains wasn’t a surprise to me because it was really a place that was special to her and to all of us,” Madden said. 

After graduating from Stanford, Clabaugh became a nurse and moved to Boise, Idaho. She also served as a health volunteer in Zambia with the Peace Corps.

“She was always a bright spot, always had a smile on her face,” Young said. “She cared a lot about other people, and it made sense that she became a nurse. She was just easy to be around.”

An “authentic” explorer: Remembering Caroline Sekar ’03

Clabaugh’s younger sister, Sekar, lived in San Francisco with her husband and two children. Her husband, Kiren Sekar, recalled to The New York Times that she raised her children to love the outdoors too, including skiing, hiking and bicycling. She was an “authentic and unabashedly unfiltered” person who spread joy and enthusiasm, Sekar told The Times.

According to Young and reports on the avalanche, a majority of the group were friends of Sekar from her college years.

Sekar, a computer science major at Stanford, assisted in developing a computer science course curriculum for public high schools in Bermuda. She also spent six months there helping train teachers to deliver the curriculum. 

Her love for the outdoors also took shape at Stanford, where she enjoyed ultimate frisbee and volunteered for East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring. After graduation, she worked as a software engineer at Apple and later became a consultant.

“Caroline spent her final days doing what she loved best, with the people who loved her most, in her favorite place,” Kiren Sekar wrote to the New York Times.

Sobelle remembered when Caroline Sekar was born. “I’m just heartbroken for her brother and her parents. They’re just a very lovely family,” she said.

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