Obituary of Clayland Waite

Clayland M. Waite Clayland Moffitt Waite was born May 4, 1920 in Ridley Park, Delaware County, Pennsylvania and died July 3, 2011 at Plantation Estates in Matthews, North Carolina. Clayland (known as ?Clay?) was the son of Laura Virginia Touchstone Waite and Oliver Tracy Waite. He had three siblings ? Oliver Touchstone Waite, David Paul Waite, and Arthur Owen Waite. Clay was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers Oliver and David, and his wife, Mary Edith Hopkins Waite. Clay and Mary lived in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, and New Jersey. They also lived in Sarasota, Florida before moving to Matthews, North Carolina. Clay?s first career was as a successful electrical engineer who was awarded six patents for his unique contributions to that field. He not only employed his engineering skills as a professional, but also at home to benefit family and friends. He could build and fix almost anything. He believed in serving others, and therefore gave of his time and talents to his church and community. Included in such service was being ordained as church Elder, elected to the office of Magistrate, President of his Rotary Club, and a member of the Masonic Lodge. In his typical energetic fashion, he retired from his first career as an engineer only to jump into a second career as a life insurance agent with Mass Mutual. He continued in this new career up until he was 85 years old. Clay and Mary were dancers. Any kind of music got them on the dance floor, especially swing. But even a polka, a waltz, or rock n? roll would get them out of their chairs and onto the dance floor. Their favorite song was Stardust and their favorite place to dance was at the New Jersey shore where they met. Mary?s family had a Victorian cottage in Beach Creek, New Jersey. One day in 1940 Clay Waite happened to visit, leading to a loving relationship between Clay and Mary and to a 67 year marriage. As they requested, Clay?s ashes will be put to rest with Mary?s ashes in the waters off of Beach Creek. They will be dancing together there for as long as the music is playing. Together Clay and Mary had two sons, five grandchildren and six great- grandchildren, the most recent proudly held for the first time by Mary the day before she died in 2009. Survivors include older son Clayland H. Waite, a retired Professor from Virginia, and his partner Jenna Herlihy, grandson Todd Alden Waite and his wife Stephanie, granddaughter Jennifer Laurel Smith and her husband Brandon (who is serving in Iraq), great-grandchildren Sofia, Emmy and Lila Smith, younger son, David E. Waite, a practicing attorney in Tennessee, and his wife Anna, grandson Frank Waite and his wife Caresse, granddaughter Billie Martin and her husband Timothy Michael Martin, great-grandchildren Kathryn Grey and Timothy Owen Martin, grandson Jack Waite and his wife Becca and great-granddaughter, Jessie Pearl Waite. Clay is also survived by an extended family including Clay?s younger brother Arthur Owen Waite, sister-in-law Dorothy Waite, sister-in-law Melba Conner, and their families. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, 1420 East 7th St., Charlotte, NC 28204. A memorial celebrating Clay?s life will be held on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, 10:00 am at Plantation Estates, 733 Plantation Estates Drive, Matthews, North Carolina, 28105.