Clawson Williams Jernigan

On June 29, 2022, Clawson Williams Jernigan, our loving husband, father, and grandfather was finally relieved from his earthly struggle after months of fighting a terrible disease that slowly and deliberately overtook his mind and body. He spent his final days at home surrounded by his family, love, and the music of his beloved Rolling Stones.

Clawson was born August 26, 1953 in Ahoskie, NC to Roberts H. Jernigan, Jr. and Linda Williams Jernigan, the youngest of three children. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Roberts H. “Robbie” Jernigan, III, and his cherished longtime caregiver and nanny, Marie Bishop.

He is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 40 years, Dawn; his two sons who were his pride and joy, Gray and Kenan and their wives Carly and Annie; his grandson of 7 months, Everett, whom he absolutely adored; his sister, Elizabeth Andrews; his nieces and nephew Richard Andrews (Austin), Margaret “Meg” Andrews (Jason Schwartz), and Elizabeth “Chi” Preyer (Britt); his mother-in-law, June Boles Greene; and his loyal canine companion, Jackson, who will continue to protect his house and family.

Clawson attended Ahoskie High School, where his mother taught Spanish, then went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He loved the Tar Heels, despised Dook, and met his lifelong best friends, Freddie Hutchins (deceased), Tommy Jones, and Tom Calkins. The foursome took up a legendary residence on Green Street where they spun records, labored and leisured over important botany projects, and allegedly set the world record for consecutive behind-the-back frisbee catches. Unfortunately, official witnesses were not notified of this or the many other feats of mind and body that almost probably occurred under that roof, so their lore will be told on the wind instead of the pages of Guinness. The 1975 Yackety Yack pictures the four men and their flowing locks consecutively under the last name “Greenstreet”. His wife and children never heard many details of those years, but they are eternally grateful for the friendships of Freddie, Tommy, Tom, and their families.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Clawson took a job with the NC Energy Division. He developed a passion for sustainable energy use and conservation that he carried through the rest of his life, spending much of his time at home chasing his children from room to room turning off lights and dialing back thermostats.

In 1979, Clawson met his wife Dawn through their mutual friend, Jeff Rose. Dawn had a brand-new Honda Accord, and Clawson asked if he could come back the next day to take it for a drive. Their first official date was to see the Grateful Dead in Charlotte. They wed on September 25, 1982, and since then shared a lifetime of love, laughter, and adventure together settling down in Raleigh and raising their two boys.

Every decision he made in his professional life was mindful of the happiness and security of his family. In 1995, after obtaining his general contractor’s license and establishing a career in home inspection, he founded Jernigan and Associates Building Inspection Services, which he ran successfully for 26 years with his wife and business partner. He was well-respected in his field, serving as president of the North Carolina chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and helping write the laws governing home inspector licensing in North Carolina. He was proud of his company and made many great friends through his work.

He loved music and instilled that love in his sons at an early age. Both of his sons have enjoyed playing music, Gray on trumpet and guitar and Kenan on drums, and Clawson loved seeing them perform. He took his family on many great travels for the sake of epic live music performances. They saw Neil Young, The Allman Brothers, Crosby Stills and Nash, Sir Paul McCartney, Bob Weir, Bruce Springsteen, and countless others. Merlefest became an annual family tradition, attending together from 2004 to 2021, and this will surely continue through the generations.

More than any other, though, were the Rolling Stones. Clawson saw the Stones on every North American tour beginning in 1972. The 1989 Steel Wheels tour was the only time that he wasn’t able to be in the building, but he loaded his family including 2 and 4-year-old boys in the minivan, rolled down the windows, and drove laps around Carter Finley Stadium taking in the music. In the years since, he treated his family to concerts in Charlotte, Durham, Raleigh, Boston, and Chicago. Late at night on one of his final days, Clawson’s family gathered around his bedside, put on Exile on Main St. and rocked out together into the early morning hours. When the song “Shine a Light” came on, through great discomfort and struggle, Clawson let out a “Hell yeah!” and pumped his fist in the air. The family has lost their rock, and the Stones have lost their biggest fan.

Those who knew Clawson felt his kind, gentle spirit. He was selfless, level-headed and logical, easy going, deliberate, thoughtful, and compassionate. He had few needs in life, but he provided his children with every opportunity and experience they could fathom. He was happiest when he had a home improvement project to work on, his family nearby, and his music of choice on the stereo. Most of all though, he loved spending time with his family at his favorite place in the world, his grandfather’s beach cottage, the Nags Tale.

Clawson would have certainly shied from the attention of an obituary if it wasn’t for the opportunity to educate families of the warning signs of Lewy body dementia, an unrelenting and incurable disease that, due to lack of research and knowledge, often goes undiagnosed until the final stages. Clawson’s family would like to send their deepest gratitude to the wonderful staff at Transitions Lifecare and all the diligent caregivers at Golden Harmony Home Care. The dignity and respect afforded to Clawson and his family by these amazing people will never be forgotten. The family would also like to send a special thanks to Clawson’s friends and family who spent so many difficult hours by his side during his final days.

A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 pm on Tuesday July 19, 2022 at Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church. The family will receive visitors at a reception immediately after the service in the church parish hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607; https://www.transitionslifecare.org/donate/, The American Brain Foundation’s Lewy Body Dementia Fund, https://give.americanbrainfoundation.org/give/346929/#!/donation/checkout, and Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church,1520 Canterbury Rd. Raleigh, NC 27608, https://www.holymichael.org/new-page-2.

Service arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Service, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh.