Friday July 13, 1923 - Tuesday January 30, 2001
COFFEY, Clayton Webster, 77, of Lexington, died Tuesday, January 30, 2001. Mr. Coffey was born July 13, 1923, in Amherst County, son of the late Ernest W. Coffey and Ethel Stratton Coffey. He was a member of New Monmouth Presbyterian Church. He was a retired construction worker. He was a veteran of WW II and served in the Pacific and European Theaters. Mr. Coffey was preceded in death by a brother, Norman E. Coffey and a sister, Audrey Holtzbach. He is survived by his wife, Gladys H. Coffey; one son, Arthur David Coffey and wife, Mary Ann of Owingsville, Ky.; two stepsons, Edgar Hamilton of Petersburg and Ralph Hamilton of Buena Vista; two sisters, Juanita Blosser of Lexington and Doris Hafle of Frederick, Md.; one brother, Ray Stratton Coffey, Sr., and wife, Evelyn of Lexington; sister-in-law, Rita Coffey of Lexington; five grandchildren, Shannon Ann Maria Coffey, Alfonzo Coffey, Bartholomew Coffey, Rozetta Mae Sutton, Arthur Clayton Coffey; ten great grandchildren. Funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, February 2, 2001 at Bolling, Grose & Lotts Funeral Chapel, Buena Vista with the Reverend Martin Stokes officiating. Interment will be at Green Hill Mausoleum. The family will receive friends from 10a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Clayton was the second youngest of the Coffey children and was the most colorful. He could hold you in rapt attention with his war time stories, or memories of the family and events. There was little that Clayton hadn't done, if you were to believe his every tale, but whether they were true or not they were wonderful and even today conjure of vivid memories.
Clayton served aboard the USS Grayson (DD-435) during World War II which saw 13 engagements, sank one submarine, downed 7 bombers, sank 4 or more troop carrying barges, was strafed by aircraft, and was the only survivor out of 4 from destroyer division 22.
Clayton was always at the Coffey Reunions and most likely was wearing his USS Grayson hat. He was always willing to lend a hand to help someone. Everyone was a "Pardner" and everyone like him. He lived with us off an on during the 1940s when he was logging with my father and I have many fond memories of those times. Most vividly was the time that our horse fell upside down in the stairwell to the basement in Morgantown, MD. Try as they may, no one was able to get that horse out. It took uncle Clayton to get down into the stairwell with him, he began slapping the horse until the poor animal, completely exhausted was able to struggle enough to right himself and climb out.
Uncle Clayton was a good teacher, too. Like the time we kids had just gotten our allowance and he offered to teach us how to shoot craps. Needless to say he won all our money and when my mother insisted he return it, he refused saying that we never would learn not to gamble if he were to give back our money. He was right, I especially got a great lesson from that.
Yes, Clayton was a loveable rascal and we will surely miss him.
Dianne McGinley Gardner
daughter of Audrey McGinley nee Coffey 1916-1972
January 2000
February 2, 2001