H. Edwin Clayton

HENRY EDWIN CLAYTON Beloved husband and father, Henry Edwin Clayton, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on July 31, 2013, in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Montgomery. Born June 20, 1927, to Mary Cornelia Sewell and Jefferson Kirk Clayton, on Clayton Street in Tupelo, Mississippi, Edwin grew up loving science, mathematics and music. His curious intellect and quick wit were evident early, and he graduated Tupelo High School in 1944, at age 16. He and another boy scored the highest IQ in the state of Mississippi, and were both awarded scholarships to the University of Chicago. Instead, Edwin opted to attend Mississippi State University, majoring in geology. His studies were interrupted by WWII, when he served as a medic with the 3rd Army Service Corp at Kennedy General in Memphis, a 5000 bed hospital which received the Presidential Unit Citation during his tenure. Upon returning to Mississippi State to complete his education, Edwin met Odessa Hancock, also from Tupelo, on a blind date. They wed in 1950, and the young couple embarked for New York City where Edwin was an engineer at Westchester Testing. There, he oversaw materials quality assurance for runways in Washington, D.C., Canada and Bermuda. Dwight D. Eisenhower and future presidents would touch down on a runway Mr. Clayton helped to modernize. Later, he joined the family business, Hancock Fabrics, where he expanded the brand into new markets in Texas and Alabama. Even there, Mr. Clayton applied his expertise in technology and innovation. Having purchased one of the first microcomputers offered, the Tandy TRS 80 (Model I) in 1977, Mr. Clayton created a program to figure drapery yardage based on window dimensions, style of curtain, fabric width and pattern repeat. At the push of a button, it would crunch the data, then print a report showing precise yardage and even the number of drapery pins required. Customers were astonished. More important than career was Edwin's commitment to family. Together, he and Odessa built a loving marriage which exemplified faithfulness, respect and generosity - and spanned 62 happy years. He was a caring and devoted father to two adoring daughters, Deborah (Brennan) and Karen, who will forever cherish their memories of hiking in Colorado on family vacations, his twinkling blue eyes, and his smart, ever-present sense of humor. Mr. Clayton is survived by his wife Odessa, daughters Deborah Brennan of Dothan, AL and Karen Clayton of Dallas, TX, granddaughters Courtney Walker (David) of New York, NY, Chloe Powell (Philip) and great-granddaughter, Alice Powell of Dothan, AL, sister Leontene Tomasetti, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by a son, Henry Edwin Clayton, Jr., his parents, and brothers Audrey, Wyble, and J.R. Clayton. A graveside celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, 10:00 am, at Lee Memorial Cemetery in Tupelo. Visitation is Monday evening 5:30-7:30 at Pegues Funeral Home.