Clayton “Clay” Prater, age 80, formerly of Warsaw, passed away Sunday, May 3, 2020, at Testa Family Hospice House in Kings Mountain, N.C. He was of the Christian faith, having been baptized in 1987.
He was born on July 25, 1939, in Prestonsburg, Ky., to Callihan and Edith Holbrook Howard Prater. He was a 1957 graduate of Warsaw High School; a member of the 82nd Airborne Division of Ft. Bragg, N.C., 1957-59; a graduate of Midwestern College, Fort Wayne, with an Associate Degree in Manufacturing Engineering in 1971; a graduate of Purdue University, Fort Wayne, with a Bachelor of Science in Management in 1984; an employee of Franklin Electric in Bluffton and a retiree of Fasco Corporation in Shelby, N.C., in 2004.
Clay is survived by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Prater, of Shelby, N.C.; two daughters: Karen (Mark) Schwendau, of Byron, Ill.; and Ronda (Jim) Williams, of Ironton, Ohio; grandchildren: Ryan (Michele) Brickel, of Rochester, N.H.; Jason Brickel, of Little Elm, Texas; Ashley Brickel, of Chicago; Jonathan Williams, of Toledo, Ohio; Lena Williams, of Inez, Ky.; and a great-grandson, William Williams-Hager.
He is also survived by sisters, Ethel Thompson, of Warsaw; and Bethel Barth, of Milford; as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Jewel Scoles and Mary Prater; and by his brothers, Beecher Howard, Butch Prater and Donnie Prater.
Clay was an avid golfer and a devoted father. He loved traveling and was an accomplished handyman and entrepreneur who will be remembered most for his encouragement, great sense of humor and positive outlook on life. He will be dearly missed by his loving family who will be holding a private celebration of his life.
