Henry Lucian Clayton, 87, went to his heavenly home on September 20, 2017 while surrounded by his family. Henry was born to Bishop and Mollie Jewell Clayton on April 3, 1930, in Rosser, Texas. On Sept. 4, 1948, Henry married the love of his life, Ellie Geneva Fortner. Their 66-year marriage served as a shining example of love and companionship. They were faithful members of The Kaufman Church of Christ, where Henry served as a deacon for 21 years. Together, Henry and Geneva helped take care of older family members and older members of their church. Over the years they also helped youth directors and youth groups at their church. Henry’s family called him Papa. One special memory about Henry happened when his grandsons were little. He gave them a shovel to play with. The boys used the shovel to dig a hole, fill the hole with water, and cover themselves with mud. Henry enjoyed playing the guitar and fiddle. He was fond of recording his favorite old country music programs that played on Sirius satellite radio. Henry worked as a dam surveyor for the U.S. Department of Soil Conservation for about 30 years before retiring in the early 1990s. Long after his retirement, people who knew Henry marveled at his math skills. He extensively used trigonometry in his work, and even until the week before his passing, he still worked trigonometry problems and tried to teach members of his family how to solve them. Henry also kept a journal most of his life. Preceding him in death are his wife, parents, sister Virginia Debecka, brother-in-law Benjamin Allen Fortner, and sisters-in-law Laura Jane Abercrombie and Emma Clayton. Those left behind to cherish his memory are his daughters Charlotte Corcoran and her husband, Michael, and Tina Hilton and her husband, Monty; grandchildren Shellie Foster, Sean Corcoran, Clayton Hilton and wife, Brittany, and Molly Hilton; great-grandson Theron Foster; brother James “Bud” Clayton; numerous nieces and nephews and friends who will miss him dearly. Henry will be best remembered for his deep faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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