Ernestine Taliaferro Clayton

1933 - 1999

Ernestine Taliaferro Clayton (Tally’O while younger and in school, MaDear, Stine) was a Gary, Indiana resident for 66 years and one of five children (only girl) born to Robert and Virnater Taliaferro. Her family roots included the states/cities of Dyersberg, Halls, Humbolt and Ripley, Tennessee; Buffalo, New York; Kentucky and other places. In 1951 Ernestine married Beauford Clayton after having dated for several years, much to the chagrin of her brothers, and to this union was born seven children, Karen, Junyce, Beauford II, Ron, Daniel, Tami and James (Ray). Ernie was a devoted wife and mother and was known throughout Gary for being an excellent beautician (we remember when a little girl with extremely short hair asked her to make her some banana curls and she did it, too), confidante (when told a secret no one could get it from her not even her hubby or children), counselor, advisor or whatever role others needed her to be. I tell you – she kept a lot of lawyers broke because all her advice to loved ones and friends was truly received and acted on thereby keeping them from having to pay certified lawyers. There was not a subject that she didn’t know or could expound on and to this day this trait has strictly passed on to her children, each one of them being experts in their own personal (ology). Gone are the days of the fresh greens, ham hocks, chitterlings, oxtails, cow’s tongue, sauerkrauts, hogshead cheese (souse – made every New Year). Matter of fact, she was a champion at buying generic foods (which hubby Beauford detested) but when she got through disguising and concocting her own recipes, he never knew the difference but just seeing the black and white labels sent him in a tizzy. She made many many candles has a hobby and gave them away as gifts and a little ole winemaker she was putting Carlos Rossi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to shame with her own creative spirits. We still laugh at how people thought she was a very healthy milk drinking person not realizing that she drank the milk laced with Scotch. After being diagnosed with cancer in January 1999, she took off the flesh in March 1999. While in the hospital so very many people visited her yet she managed to keep her smile and determination to fight off this demoralizing and debilitating disease. Whenever the nurses would question her about world events she never failed to give the correct answers. Because the cancer had spread to her brain they thought her reasoning had gone but they soon saw the fighter she was. Her family saw to it that she not suffer in a hospital so she was sent home to be with her family in her final days with in-house hospice. There she left her physical existence to reside in her heavenly abode with her parents, brother James (Jack), great grandson Lawrence and very special aunt Mattie Taliaferro.