I met Clayton Little just a few years after my father had passed away.  He came into our lives as a plumber friend of our cousin who brought him by to help Mom with repairs to the bathroom.  The next thing I knew he and Mom were going out to dinner.  Then he was coming over to dinner and becoming part of our lives.  They loved traveling together and the adventure of seeing new places and meeting new people.  Here in the south, we called him Clay.  Clay was a big man with a quick laugh and huge bear hugs.  He made you feel loved and special with his kindness and need to care for you. 

After a couple of years, he and Mom married and we became a family.  I remember even going with them on their honeymoon to Boone, NC.  That was an immediate indication of what a good father he chose to be for me.  He made our lives richer and so much more full for Mom, me and my siblings as well.  Although I was the only child still at home, he welcomed us all in and very much enjoyed having as large a family as he could.

My oldest sister leaned on him many times through the years as a father and he was always there whenever she needed him.  He was a Grandfather to her children and enjoyed when the had the opportunity to visit. He always looked forward to visits from my brothers Charlie and Billy.  When Charlie moved back to the area Dad so enjoyed having the opportunity to be a Grandfather to Wally and Amanda. After I left home, he and Amanda we thick as thieves...but I'll let her tell their story.  When my brother Billy moved back to the area, he was there for him as well.

I remember so many good times with Dad.  When I was younger we spent many weekends on his boat at the lake.  Dad was a great outdoorsman and loved hunting and fishing.  I loved going fishing with him, we would head out early in the morning and see so many beautiful places in the mountains and in the coves. Can you believe Dad taught (let) me to drive his bass boat?  (Even though one of my first times out, I smacked it right in to the dock?  If you knew Clay, you knew what response that go.  Hot headed, but quick to cool.)  I mostly liked the boat and getting a tan while we cruised from one cove to another looking for a good bite. We did manage to catch some bass, a catfish or two, but my favorite was always the bluegill. He loved telling the story of me casting into a tree and nearly falling out of the boat trying to retrieve his lure.

As I mentioned, Dad loved the outdoors and hunting was a big part of that.  He had good friends through work or church that were always ready to go hunting with Dad.  He was generous with his friendship and always wanted to feed you.  I never went on the hunting trips, but could only imagine they started with a biscuit or breakfast of some sort.  He did take me out once shooting with him. He taught me to shoot his hand gun and for fun his "Big Bertha".  I have no idea what caliber this big rifle was, but the  bullets seemed to be about 3" or 4" long.  He knew to sit me against a tree, but "Big Bertha" still kicked me to the ground.  That was another story we relived with laughter many times.

Dad was a big man with a big heart and a love for life.  He was generous with his friendship, his talents, his money and his love.  He became a member of Grace Brethren Church in Riner, VA where my family had attended for years.  He was baptized there and gave himself to the congregation and the church.  He became close friends and hunting buddies with many.  I always knew of his hard work for the church.  He shared his skilled plumbing labor as well and being a faithful caretaker.  He helped build the fellowship hall, maintain the building and build the larger new parking lot.  He was a good and faithful servant to all he met there.

There are so many more memories of family fun.  He loved to travel and soon after he and Mom married we were off to the first of many trips to visit his family in Niagara Falls.  I am thankful to have had the opportunity to meet and love his sweet mother, my Granny Little; his brothers Rex, Harvey and Roy and their families; his beautiful sisters Nita and Josie.  I never met Ellen, but he spoke of her often and loved her dearly as well.  Dad loved his childhood in Niagara Falls and dearly loved his family.  We spent many good times with each and everyone of them at one visit or another.  Dad loved to go on his fishing trips with his brothers, oh my how proud he would be to tell us all about it when he returned and laugh over the many pictures he would capture. 

Dad loved all of his children.  He was very proud to have two families, his own daughters, Linda, Judy and Darlene as well as his son Michael.  We did get to meet them and Dad would be so excited to show them off when visiting.  After I left home, I lost touch with them, but every time I visited he would show me the latest photos of his precious grandchildren.  He was so very proud of each of his family.

Dad was always there for me and my family.  He walked me down the aisle at 18 and was there to put my life back together when that marriage failed.  He welcomed my now husband Jeff with open arms and accepted him into the family as we began our life together.

There are too many memories to share in one sitting but I wanted to share a glimpse of the man who chose to be my dad.  Clayton Little was a hard working man with a big generous heart.  He wanted to make everyone he met happy with a friendly smile or good food.  He loved his families fiercely, he loved God and God's great outdoors. 

Thank you Dad for the many years of love, laughter, memories, providing and protection you gave me.  I'll love you always.

~Missy