Claiborne Pendleton Smith, 92, died Oct. 20, 2017 at The Hospice of the Golden Isles.
His love for God and his family was evident by the many lives he touched and the rich legacy he left behind.
He was born April 25, 1925 in Salisbury, N.C. to John Bellamy Smith and Virginia Bryan Walton Smith of Wilmington, N.C. Clay was raised in Wilmington, N.C. and Florence, S.C.
He was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow.
Clay attended Davidson College, majoring in Physics, before being inducted into the Navy on Aug. 2, 1943. He served as Aviation Electronic Technician’s Mate First Class and was discharged in March of 1946.
He married Betty Jane Hancock on Nov. 4, 1950 in Atlanta, Ga.
Upon graduation from Georgia Tech, Clay went to work for Western Electric and later become a registered electrical engineer in North Carolina and Virginia. He then worked for Hewlett-Packard in Richmond, Va., San Juan, Puerto Rico and Atlanta Ga. before retiring.
Clay and Betty moved to Jekyll Island, Ga. in 2000, where he was a member of the Lions Club and St. Simons Community Church. Clay was a talented and gifted craftsman. He enjoyed wood carving and decorative blacksmithing. He held an extra class ticket as a ham radio operator, and was an avid sailor and lifetime Bible student.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Betty Hancock Smith, daughter Patricia Smith Bowman and son David (Liz) Claiborne Smith.
His grandchildren are Ann Bowman Jones of Upper Arlington, Ohio, Charles Edward Bowman (Jennifer) of Missoula, Mont., Virginia Bowman Hall (Pate) of St. Simons Island, Ga., Kathleen Smith of Monrovia, Calif. and Alexandra Smith of Elma, Wash.
His great-grandchildren are Pendleton Jones and Gwyneth Jones of Upper Arlington, Ohio and Jasper Pate Hall of St. Simons Island, Ga.
A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov.26 at the Jekyll Island Baptist Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Hospice of the Golden Isles in honor of Claiborne Smith, 1692 Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, GA 31525.