Timothy K. Clay

1951 - 2023

Timothy K. Clay
10/19/1951 - 03/01/2023
Timothy King Clay, 71, of Houston, Texas passed away peacefully on March 1, 2023, due to complications from spinocerebellar ataxia. He fought a long and hard battle without complaint and displayed grace to the very end.
Tim was born on October 19, 1951 to John and Margaret Clay in Monroe, Louisiana. The middle of five children, he was the peacemaker of the family who fondly recounted being the subject of childhood pranks, memories of baseball, and summers spent at Clay's Park in Ohio. He graduated from Neville High School in Monroe, where he made lifelong friends, before earning his degree from Louisiana State University.
Following college, Tim sold golf equipment to country clubs in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, until being hired by paper and particle board company, Olinkraft. After relocating to Houston, Tim discovered he missed his girlfriend, Debra, and married her in an impromptu ceremony at the Harris County Courthouse in 1978. His co-workers taught him how to entertain his, mostly rural, customers in Texas by hosting fish frys (he didn't fish or cook) and hunting expeditions (he didn't hunt). He got in his company-issued blue station wagon and got to work, was successful, and came home with many stories about his outdoor adventures that amused and charmed his customers. In 1982, blessed with the birth of his first daughter, Katie, Tim decided it was time to stay closer to home and started selling residential real estate; then, in 1985, blessed with the birth of his second daughter, Kendall, Tim shifted to commercial real estate. In 1991, he established Clay & Company. With help from his niece, Amy Patterson, Tim built Clay & Company into a great success purchasing raw land and commercial buildings with and for investors. He loved to share his passion for real estate and mentored many young people in Houston throughout his career.
An avid sports fan, Tim enjoyed watching Houston Astros baseball games with his wife and girls, even taking them to spring training in Florida on one family trip. He was a dedicated father, who drove his daughters to school on a daily basis (always making stops for chocolate milk), taught them how to play softball in the backyard, and let them drive the golf cart while he got in nine holes of golf on a warm summer evening.
His family and friends loved his frequent words of wisdom and his affinity for the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" – a motto he lived by. Tim was a man of strong faith and a longtime member of Grace Presbyterian Church, but mostly he believed in kindness, extreme generosity, and the importance of remembering someone's name, looking them in the eye, and saying hello with a smile. He will be remembered for his quiet presence and perfectly timed jokes and expletives.
Tim was preceded in death by his father, John Otis Clay, and by his mother, Margaret Reed Clay. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Debra Jones Clay; his daughter, Katie Dalrymple, and her husband, Kevin; his daughter, Kendall Louis, and her husband, Andy; and by his four grandchildren, who called him Yampa, and several of which bear honor to him in their names: Susan Clay Dalrymple, Timothy Bear Dalrymple, Mimi Kate Louis, and Andrew King Louis. He is also survived by his brother, John Clay and his wife Mary Margaret; brother, Mike Clay; sister, Peggy McQuaide; brother, Thomas Clay; and many nephews, nieces, and their children. The family would like to express love and appreciation to his primary caregiver, Maxine Lopez, as well as to caregivers, Adrian Ramirez, Tracie Cormier, Funke Hawthorne, and Oluchi Eneh. The same appreciation is extended to his long-time friend and trainer, Michael Stewart. A reception in celebration of his life will be held on March 10 at the Houstonian Manor House, 111 North Post Oak Lane, from 2:00-5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Tim's honor to the charity of your choice, or consider buying a meal for someone in need, as he often did after dining at the Triple A Restaurant.