Anne S. Clay

A memorial service for Anne Seyler Clay will be held Saturday, August 27, 2011 between 2-4PM at the Denver Art Museum - Schlessman Hall. Please contact Terry Kirkham ([email protected]) or (303) 532-6985 if you would like to speak at the memorial service.

Anne Seyler Clay, passed away Thursday, August 11, 2011. A loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt. She is survived by her three children; Don, Nancy and Terry. Her life was spent in service to her family, but over her lifetime she was a dancer, a volunteer, an accountant and art collector. She was a wise mentor to her family and could not have been loved more. She will be missed by all who knew her. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anne's name to the Douglas Society. For memorial service information, please go to CrownHillFuneral.com

Anne S. Clay . . . through the written word of her family and others.

From her husband, Bob:

“You are my partner in love and my soul’s truest mate …you are the sharer of my dreams and my very best friend on this earth …you are the one I want to grow old with, and yours is the hand I want to hold at the end of each day for the rest of my life.” They held hands for over 60 years!

From her children:

“My first memories of you are of you reading to me about the great, grey, green greasy banks of the Limpopo River. From you I gained a love of words, and an appreciation of poetry, and much of my creativity. Mother Goose, Christopher Robin, Charlotte’s Web, Dr. Seuss . . . it always seems that you enjoyed reading to us, and that there was a special world created in the words. From you I learned that nature was nothing to be feared and you were game for many “investigations” involving bullsnakes, pond scum, spiders (including your “pet” hairy wolf spider) frogs, crawdads, salamanders. When other mothers ran screaming, you took a closer look and started asking questions. You are part of the reason I love science and am not afraid of creepy crawly things like other girls were.”

“Then there were the lessons. Ballet, piano, swimming, ballroom dancing, speed reading . .. What a commitment it took! Not from us kids, but from you! To get us there, to cajole us into going, and to make us into people with choices and broader horizons.”

“You always encouraged the formation of our faith. You didn’t take the easy way out and just take us to church on Sundays. You didn’t do “popular” – go where the neighbors went and be socially acceptable. You stood on a strong foundation and lived love and truth and goodness and faithfulness every day – one day at a time. You are still a shining light for me.”

“You taught us what it meant to be worthy of respect – and that it came because of what we do and how we walk – not from how we talk. You taught us to look for the good in others. You didn’t give ear to a lot of whining or complaining. You didn’t whine or complain or grumble. You are still teaching us how to take care of ourselves and others by your example.”

“Mom always wanted to go to lunch separately from Dad. One day when Dad & I were at lunch just after the cabin had been completed, we were talking about how great the cabin had turned out.

The cabin was something that Mom had pretty much designed by herself from stem to stern. She had, of course, solicited input from everyone on it and then proceeded to use all the input as an indicator of what not to do.

When you walk into the cabin, everything is convenient, casual, well organized and in harmony with everything else. The more time that is spent there, the more that point becomes evident.

Dad & I were discussing how well the cabin was designed. The discussion turned to other things that Mom had done and how well they had turned out as well. Finally, Dad told me, “You know, your mother is really a very intelligent person.”

And that was Mom, understated, elegant, classy, the glue that kept us all in line … not to mention the belt in her closet that was available in case the point wasn’t properly received.”

“All in all, you are a hard act to follow. It’s no wonder the grandkids call you the bionic grandma . . . it’s true! You have been there for Aunt Marian for 40 years. Every week, through thick and thin. You have carried on with family gatherings, cooked for us, held us together and been an example of grace and class. And you did it with a sense of humor and without being stuffy – and on a budget! In fact, you haven’t lost your sense of party, even now!”

From her grandkids:

“At my age everyone wants to know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. It’s the whole Doctor or Astronaut question and I have never had an answer except for this: ‘I want to be like you.’ It’s the only answer to that question that I have really, honestly ever been able to come up with. So beautiful – so active – so caring – so graceful – so healthy – so much fun – so interested in interesting things – so eager to share and teach. I could go on and on. Perhaps I will later.”

“I don’t know why but I felt like sending you a card!! I guess I’ve been thinking about you. Hope all is well  And – if I pass all of my classes then I’ll walk in graduation. Save the date!”

“Thank you very much for the graduation card and for coming to my ceremony. It meant a lot to me that you were there. I’ll do my best in the future to make you proud.”

From her sister, Marian:

“First of all, thank you for taking me to the beauty shop – a real necessity!” Secondly, the luncheon was divine . . . to be together with you all was even more delightful. Thanks a million for your kindness, chauffeuring and just everything. I love you very much and am very grateful to you and all the family.”

From her nephew, Richard:

“You were the one who told me about Mom’s accident. I suppose that neither you nor I really understood the significance of that day. At that time, you stepped into a lot of the role that Mom had had. There were all the practical issues of dealing with the house and three boys, each going their own direction. I remember you being there in the afternoons after school and helping us get settled into the routines of schoolwork, dinner preparation, etc.

We finished up school, went out into the world and eventually Mom was faced with her “empty nest period.” I think it is then that your kindness and persistent dedication has shown through the most. While others have gone off like the four winds, you have been there for Mom. Every Thursday is your day. You have done the accounting and taken care of all the practical matters. You were there to help in her various moves and to help cheer her up when she was sad. There is no way to adequately say thank you for that commitment.”

In her own words:

Her resume summarizes her competencies as “office management, systems design, accounting, payroll, employee records and property management. Her activities when not working are “Denver Symphony Guild, Denver Civic Ballet, 4-H, Member of the Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver Art Museum and a special interest in American Indian Arts and Crafts.”

But off the record, in a letter to a friend she wrote “I would not have learned to keep books if Bob had not gone into business . . . but to have learned accounting with kids crawling all over the table and no adding machine was really to have learned accounting! However, I always regretted learning it because I was stuck with the job every since.”

Words from others that honor her:

“For if my father was the head of our house, my mother was its heart.” Phillip Dunne

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” Dorothy Canfield Fischer

Now, as always, the most automated appliance in a household is the mother.” Beverly Jones

“A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.” Lois Wyse

Proverbs 31:25-31 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.