- Date Of Birth: November 21, 1942
- Date Of Death: August 12, 2022
- State: Indiana
Clay Curtis, Jr., born November 21, 1942, after a two-year battle with pulmonary fibrosis, suffered a heart attack and passed away on August 12, 2022 at the age of 79.
Youngest child of 10 born to Clay and Pearl (Conkright) Curtis, he grew up in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He joined the Army in 1961, serving part of his term in the Army National Guard of Indiana, and was honorably discharged in 1968.
Clay met his future wife, Rebecca Jean Austrew, in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1962 and was married in July 1964. They had their first home in Franklin, Indiana for 14 years and then moved to their present home in Whiteland, Indiana.
Clay and his wife became Christians in 1974 at the Greenwood Church of Christ. They later helped establish the White River Congregation and the Bargersville Church of Christ, where he served as an elder for 11 years. He and Rebecca moved membership to Southport Church of Christ and continued to work and teach as faithfully as they were able. The teaching of the Gospel was so much a central part of his life; he studied and taught others as often as he could and was always generous with his time, his income, and his abilities.
Clay had so many interests and did all of them well – a skilled woodcrafter, keeping horses and trail riding, motorcycles, bowling leagues, camp counselor for 18 years at Midwest Summer Camp, and construction projects, building almost everything on his 6-acre mini farm. His work at Allison/Rolls-Royce as a Tool and Die Maker in Skilled Trades was awarded recognition for his excellence in skilled trades, in particular his work, as part of a three-man team, on the engine for the Saab Aircraft in 1993.
Married for 58 years, he is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and their two children, Edward Franklin Curtis and Tammy Lee (Curtis) Cooper; 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.
There are not enough words to express how much he was loved and respected, not only by his family, but also by so many friends and co-workers throughout his life. He was the central foundation and strength of our family – he will be deeply missed.
