Eiko K. Claytor

Eiko Kimura (Kim) Claytor, of Roanoke, entered into eternal rest on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. She was born on August 30, 1921, to Kosaburo Kimura and his wife, Hideyo Sasaki Kimura, both from Miyagi Ken Sendai, Japan. She was the youngest of four daughters born to the couple after they immigrated to the United States. The oldest, Yukiko, was born in Rexburg, Utah, the second, Tomiko, in Ogden, Utah, and the other two, Lillian and Eiko, in Tooele, Utah. The family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, when Kim was still an infant, and where she graduated from West High School in 1938 and attended the University of Utah 1938 to 1940. Kim graduated from Salt Lake General Hospital School of Nursing in 1943. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education. She has also attended courses of study at Case Western University, Cleveland, Ohio, University of Virginia and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
From 1951 to 1953 she was serving her country in the United States Air Force Nursing Corps by working in the crash and accident ward in the 5005th hospital at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska. It was in Alaska where she met her husband to be, Captain Walter S. Claytor of the Dental Corps. She was discharged from the AF as a Captain in the Reserves and went to work for a short time at Garfield Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she and Walter finally tied the knot for their beginning 57 years of marriage. To this marriage blessings were bestowed upon them with three children that are Sansei, third generation Japanese Americans, as well as multi-generation African Americans.
Her surviving family includes her husband, Walter; her three children, Dr. Kaye L. Claytor, of Indianapolis, Ind., David W. (Susan) Claytor, a grandchild, Matthew Kimura Claytor, of Centreville, Va., and Mark W. Claytor, of Roanoke. Other family members include her sister, Lillian Yuriko Kimura, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Walter's four sisters, Bernice Boddie, of Los Angeles, Calif., Roberta (John) Palmer, of Martinsburg, W.Va., Ruth Marsh, of Saginaw, Mich., and Margaret (David) Woodbury, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; along with a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Kim's first job in Roanoke came at a time when Burrell Memorial Hospital wanted to start a school of practical nursing. This program, entitled Burrell Memorial Hospital-Lucy Addison High School of Practical Nursing, was started in 1958 and accredited in 1959 by the Virginia State Board of Nurse Examiners and the State Board of Education. She stayed with them until she retired in 1986. She was hired during a time when many women were working as domestics, without benefits, for $80/month. The school provided a great service to the hospital and community and maintained high standards. The school achieved a 99% pass rate on the practical nurse licensing examination, and in no small part to Kim tutoring the weaker students without charge after hours at her home. She also taught pride, discipline, personal honor, and respect in all endeavors to yourself and employers. She actively assisted many to find higher paying jobs and to secure scholarships for advanced education.
Although short in stature, Kim was a "giver" with a "big heart." She was adept at multiple crafts such as crocheting, knitting, embroidery, cross stitching, needlepoint, macramé, T-shirt designs, origami, ceramics, designing and creating button broaches and Faberge eggs, cooking and baking. She freely gave of her time, knowledge, skills, and finances to help others. Through her encouragement, she (along with a small group of women) crocheted 4000+ skull caps and numerous lap blankets for adult and pediatric cancer patients. She also educated others (free of charge) who wanted to learn how to knit and crochet. As an accomplished seamstress, she sewed for friends and family as gifts, but never for money. She also shared a love for gardening.
Kim was a lifetime member of the NAACP and SCLC. For her numerous contributions to the community, the Roanoke Chapter of the SCLC presented her with a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award in 2004. She also earned an American Red Cross pin #137598 for her countless hours of volunteer service.
Kim has requested cremation of her remains, and therefore, a viewing will not be held. Please do not send flowers (due to close family members' multiple allergies). The family requests that former nursing students and students of art work, friends and family send letters, WITHIN 3 WEEKS, sharing specifics regarding how and what Kim did to impact their lives. Please include detailed memories/stories of her demeanor, quotes, and the life changes she encouraged in your life and your pursuits. These submissions will be part of a written memorial that will be published in her honor at a later time in the Roanoke Tribune, and subsequently, placed in the Burrell Memorial Hospital historical archives in the Gainsboro Library. A person's life is not the date of birth and the date of death, but the dash in between. In a word, "Let the work that she has done speak for her." Please send written submissions to Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home at 1002 Moorman Road, NW, Roanoke, VA 24016, or use their website, www.Hamlar-Curtis.com for all correspondence.