Robert E. 'Bob' Clayton
1926-2004

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the East Line 
Street Cemetery in Bishop for Robert E. "Bob" Clayton.  Father John Gracey of 
our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church will officiate the service.

Born in Barry, Ill. On Aug. 17, 1926 to Russell and Laura Clayton, Bob died 
peacefully with his wife Janet at his side on Dec. 3, 2004.

Bob lived in the Barry/Quincy area until he was 16.  in 1943 he moved west to 
California and settled in Lancaster to finish his high school education.;  He 
became a proficient hay-baler and regaled his family with tales of the warm home 
provided to him by the Pritchard family of Lancaster and the adventures of their 
mules, Eva and Blue.

He wrote for the Antelope Valley High School newspaper and graduated with a 
group of students who would become life-long friends.  Following graduation from 
AV High School, Bob attended the University of Southern California for a year.

He enlisted in the United States Army in 1944 and attained the ranch of 
technician 5th Grade assigned to the 627th Quartermaster Refrigeration Company.  
He was honorably discharged on Nov. 20, 1946 whereupon he returned to Southern 
California and began working as a driver/salesman for Brian Cone's beer 
distribution in San Fernando.

Bob met his future wife, Janet, at a malt-shop in the San Fernando Valley, 
through a mutual friend.  They were married in 1950 and made their home in San 
Fernando.  Bob and Janet celebrated the birth of their first child, Robyn, in 
1951.  By 1957 their family was complete with the addition of a second daughter, 
Christy in 1955, and their son, Andrew Scott in 1957.

A move back to Lancaster set in motion Bob's dream of becoming a small-business 
owner, and Bob Clayton Fire Equipment was established in 1961.  Working out of a 
rented building and an aunt's old pickup, he built a business that included 
small restaurants as clients and large military contracts.  Bob diversified his 
business, adding fire sprinkler installation with his son, Scott.

His handshake was his bond throughout his business career and his life.  Bob was 
a member of Rotary International, the Elks Club and the Bishop Rotary Club.  Bob 
enjoyed fishing in the High Sierra and Owens Valley and will be interred in 
Bishop near the Owens River.

Bob is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Janet; daughter and son-in-law, 
Robyn and Doug Browning; granddaughter, Corey Browning; daughter, Christy, and 
her partner, Annie; son, Scott; sister-in-law, Diane Titus and her husband Jim; 
nephew, Brett Dietrich and his wife, Jenette; great-nephew, Robert Dietrich; 
great-niece, Ashley Dietrich; and many life-long friends.

The family has requested that donations in Bob's memory be made to Alzheimer's 
or Parkinson's foundations or to a charity of one's choosing.

The Inyo Register
Bishop, Inyo County, California
Tuesday, December 7, 2004 – Page A-3.

Transcribed by Laura M. Bybee for Inyo County GenWeb, 6 June 2005