Born March 13, 1941, in Ripley, Mississippi, he was preceded in death by his mother, Mildred Dickerson Clayton Stanford, his father, Newel T. Clayton, and brother, James Earl Clayton.
Joe's family moved to Memphis when he was a baby. He graduated from Messick High School in 1959 and worked for American Snuff Company, Data Science Corporation, The Furniture Center, and Heilig Meyers. After retiring he went to work part-time at FedEx where he stayed for over 20 years. He was in the Tennessee National Guard for nine years after enlisting at age 14. He served in the Shelby County Sheriff's Reserves for 13 years.
Joe bowled most of his adult life and was a past president and life member of the Memphis Bowling Association and long-time member of the Southern Bowling Congress. He was inducted into the Southern Hall of Fame in 2018.
He and Jean attended Central Church for many years.
Survivors include his wife and friend of 57 years, Jean Horton Clayton; son, Joe Gregory "Willis" Clayton (Bernice) of Katy, Texas; two daughters, Christy Clayton of Sheridan, Michigan, and Jennifer Clayton Lowe (David) of Memphis. He also leaves three grandchildren, Jase Lowe of Memphis and Travis Coy and Erica Coy of Sheridan; and five great-grandchildren in Sheridan.
Visitation will be held Monday, April 1 from 5:00 until 8:00 PM, at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38119. Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 2 at 10:30 AM, also at the funeral home. Family and friends will gather after the funeral at Jean's and Joe's home to celebrate his life.
Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM, at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Memphis Animal Shelter or the donor's choice.
