Dr. Clemmie Nathalis Saxton

Wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Born in Texas and immensely proud of it, Clemmie Saxton was a woman of exuberant energy, brightening each room she entered. An exceptional mind with a ravenous appetite for expansion, she collected advanced degrees with an ease rarely seen. Enrolling in the prestigious Tuskegee Institute at the age of sixteen, she completed her Bachelor of Science before turning twenty; never finishing a term with anything lower than a “B”. It was not however, a college experience bereft of heterogeneity. Far more than just a gifted student, Clemmie’s warm personality and charming demeanor endeared her to many of her professors and peers. Along the way to her doctorate, Clemmie pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha. On the national level, she was inducted into the “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges program”, a long-standing honor that recognizes outstanding undergraduate and graduate students for their academic achievement, community service, and leadership. Provincially, she was crowned “Ms. Tuskegee”, in addition to being voted “Most Popular” by her classmates.

Her next adventure arrived in the form of a Master’s degree. After two years of discipline and diligence, Clemmie earned her Master of Education, Passed with Distinction, from Texas Southern University. Upon graduation, she married the love of her life. Brigadier General (then Lieutenant) Richard W. Saxton, and settled into her career as a dietician. She spent years in the field, even serving on the Chicago Board of Public Health. Eventually circling back to education, she earned her Doctor of Clinical Nutrition. She went on to teach graduate students at Howard University for years, and routinely shared fond memories of her time there.

In her free time, Clemmie enjoyed reading the newspaper and tuning in to CNN. Aside from news, historical documentaries and biblical re-enactments were some of her favorite programs, along with Walker, Texas Ranger. Clemmie was also a master chef, possessing both the inclination to provide and the ability to deliver five-star meals with regularity. She was extremely proud to be the wife of a soldier, the mother of another, and the matriarch of many more. A woman of many talents, she enjoyed playing the drums; and later in life, Clemmie picked up birdwatching and was able to spot several rare species.

Clemmie is survived by her three children, Renee, Marie, and Richard. The stories she would tell of each were indicative of a proud mother who loved her children tremendously. She is now reunited with her husband Richard in paradise.