Jerry Clay

Jerry Harold Clay of Tyler passed away March 30, 2010, at the age of 73. Visitation will be held at Stewart Family Funeral Home in Tyler on Thursday, April 1, 2010, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Funeral services will be held at First Christian Church of Tyler on Friday, April 2, 2010, at 2:00 P.M, with Dr. Chris Pulliam and Rev. Kayla Coffee-Prose officiating. Interment will be at Rose Hill Cemetery immediately following the service. Jerry was born in Athens on August 6, 1936, the youngest child of Jessie and Eunice Clay. He spent his youth in Athens along with his brothers, Tom, Leon and Pete, and his sister, Doris. He graduated from Athens High School in 1954 and continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1959. After graduation, Jerry began a long and fulfilling career in the oil and gas industry. In the 1960s through the 1980s he co-founded and worked with the Carlon Oil and Millican Oil companies. Jerry founded White Rock Exploration in 2000 along with his son, Richard. He was a longtime member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and remained an active participant in the oil industry until the time of his death. Jerry married Dixi Sue Rhoades of Pampa, Texas, on August 3, 1963, in Canyon, Texas. They made their home in Tyler where they raised two sons Kyle and Richard. Jerry’s family was very precious to him. He was a beloved husband, father, brother and friend. Jerry was a philanthropist and was very involved in the community. He was a member of the First Christian Church in Tyler. Preceding him in death are his parents, Jessie Lee Clay and Eunice Lee Carroll Clay; brothers, Thomas W. Clay and James Leon Clay; and infant son, Corey. He leaves behind his loving wife Dixi and sons, Kyle and Richard, along with their wives, Anna and Amy, and grandson, Jacob Brown; also, sister Doris Oliver of Dripping Springs, and brother A. Carroll “Pete” Clay of Tyler. He will be missed by his family and the numerous friends he made over the years. Honorary pallbearers are Curtis ”Curlis” Mooring of Mineola; and Merwyn Pickle, Bill Hughes, Jim Knowles, and Ronnie Schoenbrun, all of Tyler. The family will be endowing a scholarship at the University of Texas School of Engineering in Jerry’s honor. Memorials may be made out to the Jerry H. Clay Scholarship Fund, and sent to 102 N. College Ave., Suite 507, Tyler, Texas 75702.

Jerry Clay

August 6, 1936 - March 30, 2010