Tommie H. Clay Sr. – Obituary

Reverend Tommie H. Clay Sr. was born 27 August 1947 to the union of Mr. Harvey H. Clay and Mrs. Vallie L. Clay who both preceded him in death. He joined his other siblings James E. Clay, Otis Clay, Harvey Clay and Eula Drinkard in gaining his gift of eternal life on 22 October 2015 at the Muscle Shoals Hospital in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Reverend Tommie Clay Sr. served the Lord as well as his community with all of his being. He confessed Christ as a child at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Woodville, Alabama. He served with the dedication Christ has for all his children with most of his life being dedicated to doing God’s work. He was the pastor for the following churches: Mt Zion M.B. Church, Hollywood, Alabama, New Jerusalem M.B. Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee, First Baptist Church, Russellville, Alabama, Trinity M.B Church, Florence, Alabama, and Second M.B. Church, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Russellville, Alabama, where he pastored upon his homecoming.
Reverend Clay was a man of many capabilities. He served in the military during the Vietnam War, where he received the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal and the coveted Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He was an expert in marksmanship, and he also trained to become one of the Army’s famed drill sergeants, and he also completed training for his black belt in karate. He had many occupations from working as an janitorial supervisor in Dayton, Ohio, Revere Copper and Brass Metal Company in Scottsboro Alabama, as an orderly in Jackson County Hospital in Scottsboro, Alabama, for the city of Russellville as a heavy equipment operator, as a city school bus driver and also for Basden Bus Company as a tour bus driver, and last but not least a laborer and training supervisor at Helig Meyer Furniture. He also participated as an activist within the community serving in the NAACP and Masonic organizations throughout the area.
He leaves to mourn a loving and devoted wife of 38 years, Starlet Clay, of Russellville, Alabama; five children, Brian Raynard Washington, of Hollywood, Alabama, Sabrina (Kenneth) Clay, of Charlotte, North Carolina, Tommy (Tanisha) Clay Jr, of Montgomery, Alabama, Nathan Tyrone Clay, of Foley, Alabama, and Allie Landers, of Dayton, Ohio; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren; five brothers, Hollis H. (Clara) Clay, of Scottsboro, Alabama, Thomas (Geraldine) Clay, Walter L. (Polly) Clay, of Huntsville, Alabama, Raymond Clay, of Bessemer, Alabama, and Paul (Alice) Elliot, of Lawton, Oklahoma; one sister, Doris (John) Hutchins, of Stevenson, Alabama; his mother-in-law, Mary Hill ,of Huntland, Tennessee; sisters-in-law, Diane Wilcox, of Huntland, Tennessee, and Vickie Hendrix, of Huntsville, Alabama; two brothers-in-law, Calvin Miller, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Perry Miller, of Hollywood, Alabama; and a host of nephews, nieces, family and dear friends.
Funeral services are Saturday Oct. 31, 2015, noon, at
First Baptist, Russellville.
Public viewing is today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Grace Memorial Funeral Home in Sheffield.