Jane W. Claytor

We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Jane Withrow Claytor (94), of Severn, MD, died peacefully on the morning of October 9, 2023, after a short illness.

She was born tiny but mighty, weighing just 2.5 lbs., on August 12, 1929 to Luther Forest Withrow and Anna McDermott Withrow. Her childhood was spent in Covington, VA, where she grew up alongside her older brother, Don, her younger sister, Patty, and a rich support system of extended family members who lived nearby. After graduating from Covington High School, Jane met her sweetheart, John Lynn Claytor, while working at their local Five and Dime Store.They exchanged wedding vows on January 14, 1950; the details of the outfit she wore to their honeymoon in DC were featured in her local newspaper. Jane’s marriage to John was a devoted, sustaining partnership that carried them through the small joys of sharing daily life together to the monumental undertaking of moving their family overseas for two years (before the internet!)–and everywhere in between. They raised their growing family in the Washington, DC metro area and eventually settled into their family home in Hyattsville, MD. Their beautiful love story lasted for over 60 years, until John passed in 2013, and continues to inspire family and friends.

Jane brought care and attention-to-detail to every role she held in life, no matter how small. She was a skilled home-maker and host, tirelessly working to create a warm, welcoming environment for family to grow and friends to gather; a gifted knitter and accomplished baker who widely and generously shared her talents; and she enjoyed a wealth of hobbies that kept her sharp and spirited to the end, including volunteering in her University Christian Church community, playing cards, working puzzles, and taking walks. She was a loving, attentive mother to her three wonderful sons, Gary Lynn Claytor (Pamela), Michael Forest Claytor (Carol), and Alan Preston Claytor, and a proud, dedicated grandmother to her four grandchildren, Jesse, John, Courtney, and Allison, and her great-grandson, Ryan. She took her role as “Aunt Jane” seriously, investing her time and love into her many nieces and nephews as if they were her own children. And she was a dependable, caring, steadfast friend to so many.

To know Jane was to be loved: a steady from-the-bottom-of-her-heart love, a phone call “just to see how you’re doing” love, an “I have some cookies over here for you” love. It was a love rooted deeply in her Christian faith and Christ’s teachings; a love that flourished and grew over a lifetime of service to her family, friends, and community. We will miss her tremendously.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jane’s memory to the Loose Ends Project at www.looseendsproject.org

A memorial service for Jane will be held Tuesday, October 17, 2023 from 11:00 AM at Robert E. Evans Funeral Home, 16000 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD 20715.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.robertevansfuneralhome.com for the Claytor family.