William Claron Sumner Sr.

William Claron Sumner Sr., 94, died on Sunday, October 26, 2008, in Roanoke, Va. Claron was born and raised on a farm in Fancy Gap, Va. He was the last surviving child of the seven children of Robert Fulton Sumner and Alverta Brendle Sumner. He attended colleges in Bluefield, W.Va., and Richmond, Va., and received his degree in dentistry from the Medical College of Virginia. Claron established a practice in Rocky Mount, Va. While making bank deposits, he met his future wife, Catherine, a teller at the bank. During World War II, Claron and Catherine moved to Gulfport, Miss., where he served as a United States Army Air Corps dentist. At the end of World War II, Claron and Catherine moved to Roanoke, where he lived for the rest of his life. He was a dentist with the Veterans Administration. He loved gardening and was an active member of Raleigh Court United Methodist Church.
Claron and Catherine were married for 67 years. They have four children, Bob, Claudine, Bill, and Carey, who live with their spouses in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan. They have 12 grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren living in the United States and Canada.
Catherine and her family invite friends to join them at the visitation at Oakey's South Chapel, 4257 Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke on Thursday, October 30, 2008, from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral will be held 2 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2008, at Oakey's South Chapel, 540-989-3131.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the charity of your choice. Please visit and sign the guest book at www.roanoke.com.