Mary Cathon Clayton, 73, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
She was born in Yantley, Alabama on July 15, 1949. She moved to Akron, Ohio with family at an early age. Mary attended and graduated from Buchtel High School and was a member of The House of the Lord.
Mary, our beautiful mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend, worked at Massey Ferguson for many years and after leaving in 1979 she continued her career in nursing and foster care. She enjoyed life, she could make you happy, sad, or mad, but at the same token would drop everything to come to your rescue if you needed her. Her love for baking kept her in the kitchen making cakes, pies, peach cobbler, banana pudding and cookies. Her recipes were so good that she had a cookie recipe published in Potpourri of Cookery cookbook. Now sweets were not all she could throw down cooking in the kitchen, any traditional feast was also tasty, and everyone was welcome. Mary’s big getaways were traveling, bingo, playing numbers and back in the day going to the race track with her uncle Marcus and cousin Boojack. Nothing could compare to her bragging about her son, daughter, and grandchildren. Her favorite song was She used to be my girl by the O’Jays, you may have seen or heard about her cruising in the car with her special friend Willie Jennings with that contagious laugh listening to old school music.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Katie Mae Clayton and George Edward Clayton and brothers, Thomas Young and George Clayton.
Mary leaves to mourn her departure and to cherish her memories loving children, Larry Clayton of Tuson Arizona, Trashawn (James) Thomas of Rowlett Texas; “very special” nephews who she raised like her own, Shawnee and Javantae Clayton of Akron, Ohio; brothers, James (Deloris) Clayton of Dallas, Georgia, Norman (Darlene) Clayton of Akron, Ohio; sisters, Loretta Clayton and Barbara (Ernie) McCalister of Akron, Ohio; sister-in-law, Sarah Young of Fort Worth, Texas; six grandchildren, Daeshawn, Aryc, Kayla, Jalen, Jayla, and Oliva; aunts, Doretha Knott and Jean Ivy; extra special cousins, Dorothy Evege, Cammie Ford and Zula Jenkins; nieces and nephews Sharon, James Jr. Lamar, Normika, Daniel, Darice and Breauna and a host of cousins, family, and friends.
There are many mysteries in life, many things we do not understand. God does not always tell us how He is working out his plan but, in his time, and in his way, he clearly lets us know he is working out his best for us because he loves us.