CLAY, Roger L. 1919-2012
CLAY, HOVELSON, HUNT, HORTON, DORAN, TURLEY, MENDEZ
Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 9/24/2012 at 20:30:41
Roger L. Clay, 92, of Hudson, passed away Sunday, May 20, 2012, at Ravenwood Nursing & Rehab Center in Waterloo.
Roger was born July 10, 1919 in Cedar Falls, the son of Joseph B. and Grace (Hovelson) Clay. He graduated from Cedar Falls High School and went on to graduate from Iowa State University in Ames, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, following his service in the U.S. Army during WW II.
He married Barbara Hunt from Nevada, Iowa in October of 1942. She preceded him in death as did his siblings, Robert, Charles, David, Josephine and Virginia. He married Marion Doran Horton on November 6, 1999 and they made their home in Hudson, Iowa, where Marion still resides.
Roger had four children, Melissa who preceded him, and surviving children, Pamela Clay-Turley, Peter (Lora) Clay and Debbie Clay-Mendez. His children remember him as loving, fair but firm, interested in everything, full of enthusiasm, and supportive of them and their aspirations. He is also survived by two grandchildren, Anna Clay Mendez and Sarah Clay-Mendez.
There will be a private graveside service at Fairview Cemetery, Cedar Falls, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent in Roger's name to Crossroads Assembly of God, 3205 Bethel St., Waterloo, Iowa 50702. Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
Roger was well known in Cedar Falls for his leadership of the established family business, Clay Equipment, and for his active involvement in the community. The company motto was "Push Button Farming" and as President and CEO of Clay Equipment, Roger tried to modernize farming and make it less labor intensive. He kept his eyes on every facet of the company and was always looking for new labor-saving products. Roger was ahead of his time by having the company become self-insured both for employee healthcare and liability. He also initiated a unique employee stock ownership plan and his employees owned the company when he retired.
Roger was an enthusiastic sportsman. He went on several hunting and fishing trips, local and as far away as Canada, Belize and Africa. He had a private pilot's license, built and flew a sail plane, went sky diving, and learned to scuba dive after he was sixty years old. After retirement, he took several Windjammer cruises, and he took a hot air balloon ride when over eighty. In his later years, he loved bowling, pool, and flying model planes. His enthusiasm for life and new adventures was infectious.
[Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home Obituary]
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