Susan Eileen Clayton

Susan Eileen Clayton, 65, of Snohomish, Washington, passed away on August 26th, 2026, at Virginia Mason in Seattle at exactly 11:11am. She was truly one of the brightest souls to grace this Earth, and dearly beloved by all who knew her. She was a brilliant, kind, intelligent, radiant, ferociously loyal woman, mother, wife, friend, writer, and poet, amongst a plethora of other titles, all of which she rightfully earned during her time on Earth. Words (which she was known as the Queen of, by many) are not enough to encapsulate all of who she was.

Born on June 27th, 1961 in Klamath Falls, she was raised by her mother, Betty Pace, joined later by her stepfather Harvey Pace, alongside her siblings. She was strongly independent from the start, wise beyond her years, and was always willing to use the strength and wisdom she gained to help those who needed it most. She was a beacon for the lost and was more than happy to step in to help guide any young souls who needed a mom of their own, for any reason. Through this, despite only having one biological child of her own, she has many in spirit, all of which are deeply grieving her passing alongside the rest of her family and friends. Her own son, Kayge Karras Abendroth, is the absolute light of her life. He was her caretaker for the final five years of her life, by her side every step of the way through all of her treatments, and they shared a bond that was unshakeable, even by death itself.

Susan married her husband, Micheal Clayton, on August 23nd, 1986. They shared a partnership for 40 years and 3 days, owned numerous properties, and had just relocated to Snohomish in the last 6 years to enjoy their golden years together. Her passing affected him deeply.

Susan spent many years, up until her death, working as the Administrative Secretary for the East County Parks and Recreation District. She was a very dedicated, organized worker who took great pride in what she accomplished during her time there. Because of her, the parks have remained in working order, problems were quickly extinguished, and everything ran smoothly as could be. The Park District will not be the same without her.

Susan was a woman of many words and many hobbies. Cooking, baking, gardening, embroidery, crafts of all sorts, and was incredibly fond of and talented at playing the drums. She had a phenomenal sense of humor, an incredibly durable spirit, and was never afraid to voice how she felt about something. Such qualities in her life led to many deep connections, one of her longest with her lifetime best friend, Kyra Loveall. Through the good times and the hardest of times, they were there for one another for several decades, and Ky became Auntie Ky to Susan’s own son.

One of her favorite stories to reminisce about was the time when, despite the discouragement and doubt from the people around her, she had managed to secure backstage passes for her favorite artist (Elton John) so she could meet the drummer for his band, Nigel Olsson. She accomplished this not by simply purchasing the tickets, or by knowing the right people, but rather by baking several dozen chocolate chip cookies to gift to the band instead. And by God, it worked! She got her backstage pass, she got to meet Nigel, and to this day it is one of her proudest accomplishments. She would frequently use this story as an analogy to communicate her most prominent beliefs - use the doubt of others as your motivation to accomplish your dreams and prove them wrong, and that being genuine will get you farther in life than anything. And that’s just a glimpse into the grand multitude of stories Susan had accumulated in her life; just a sliver of the astounding life she led.

Susan is survived by her beloved son, Kayge Abendroth, and her loving husband of 40 years, Michael Clayton. Amongst her siblings, she is survived by Deb, David, and Fred. Preceding her in death are her mother, stepfather, and brothers Robin and Steven.