Peter Herbert Clay (17 Aug 1931 - 14 Oct 2016)
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- Location
- Rainsbrook Crematorium, Avon Chapel Ashlawn Road Rugby CV22 5ET
- Date
- 4th Nov 2016
- Time
- 12pm
In loving memory of Reverend Peter Herbert Clay who sadly passed away on 14th October 2016, aged 85 years.
Peter Clay was born on 17 August 1931 in Northampton, to his parents Herbert, a railwayman, and Lilian, who had worked in service. He had an older sister Joyce and later had a younger brother Ronald. During his childhood the family moved to Oxford but later returned to Northampton
After leaving school he attended Technical college, and worked as a technical drawer in Rugby. IN 1952 he started his National Service, where he found his Christian faith. As he states in his own( unpublished) biography which he wrote in his retirement as part of a creative writing course,
' My encounter with religion began when i was 17. I had gone with a mate to a church hall dance. Sitting together , eyeing the girls, a man wearing a dog collar came and sat beside us. He was quite friendly and asked us about our jobs and interests. He turned to me and asked 'Had I tried Church'. I thought 'Church - its only a habit - perhaps when I am older'.
Several years later when he was doing his national service in Germany he had encounters with the Army Chaplains, who invited him to social events and visits to German factories and towns, where he witnessed the poverty of the people and the still ruined buildings. He joined a confirmation class and was duly confirmed. The chaplain suggested that a group do a play, and Dad said he was worried about learning lines and dressing up, but the chaplain suggested that they would play characters from the Gospel, he agreed and in states he enjoyed the experience.
The final significant event when he was in National service is when he was asked to join a group to do the Route March to Nijmegen in Holland- 100 miles in 4 days, and he wrote that he jumped at this opportunity and completed the training for this. On the day of the march the officer told them all to take care of their feet - if any of the got a blister they would not got a medal. They all completed and there were no blisters, so they all got Medals and we still have Dad's medal. .
As he states ' my time in Germany enabled my faith to mature, thanks, largely, to the two chaplains. I was then far removed from my teenage cynicism of Christianity as being 'only a habit'
ON returning from National Service he worked as a teacher in a technical college.He also continued his interest in Drama productions, although remaining backstage, at Dallington church drama group. There he met Dorothy and they married in September 1958. They also both enjoyed walking and rambling and had lots of holidays rambling in the UK.
In 1959 their first child Catherine was born. He was working as a technician at the lift factory in Northampton, but on his site visits he would be more concerned about the people who lived in the blocks of flats, rather then the engineering of the lift. He began to feel a calling for ordination and in 1962 started Theological college in Lichfield, when the second child Timothy arrived, and in his first parish as a curate in Ross on Wye the third child Alexander was born.
Subsequent parishes were in urban Leamington Spa, a rural parish in Warwickshire with 4 churches, then to Telford new town to be preist At All Saints Stirchley , a church which was to be a new initiative where the building was to be shared with the Roman Catholic and Methodist church, as well as functioning as a community centre. Remaining in Telford he was then in Dawley for a number of years. During this time he was also chaplain to the local Air Cadets, maintaining his early connection to Christian support and mission in the armed forces. After experiencing this range of parishes and churches, when his daughter became a muslim he took the opportunity to meet people from other faith backgrounds, both in UK and by going to Lahore in Paksitan with Dorothy for 6 months . Inspired by this experience they decided they wanted to make a longer commitment to the church mission overseas, and they spent 2 years in Luanshya, Zambia. This had a longlasting impact on both them and the parishioners there - they took particular concern for a young widow Florence and her young family, and with their continued support when they returned to UK, Florence and her daughters have achieved good academic results and have success in their professional lives, but more importantly are strong in their Christian faith.
ON return to UK, Peter's final parish before retirement was Church of the Good Shepherd in Loughborough.
ON retirement they decided to move to Rugby where Peter could easily have regular contact with his nephew Robin who is disabled and resident in a care facility. He was active at St Peters Church and was on call for other services the diocese for a number of years and also covered for the local vicar at the English speaking St Ursula Church in Berne when visiting his son Alexander who moved to live in Switzerland. . During retirement they traveled abroad several times a year, mostly the Mediterranean, and he kept meticulous diaries of all of his visits. For his 70th Birthday he went to Boston to meet his cousin who had emigrated there.
When not travelling abroad he spent a lot of time researching his family tree, visiting county records offices in Shropshire and the North East, and found records as far back as far as 1750, tracing his roots to a very English heritage, and gaining an appreciation of his ancestors experience of the industrial revolution, migrating with their families to where their technical skills could be utilised. He was able to enjoy being with his grandchildren, his garden, doing woodwork creating beds and garden furniture which were fully utilised in the home. He attended adult education classes in New Testament Greek, basic computing, creative writing and family history with varying degrees of success, and very importantly he was able to spend more time gaining expertise in Scrabble and laterly Upwords. He enjoyed reading and kept himself informed about current affairs, trying to utilise the emerging new technology but preferring pen, paper and an old typewriter to communicate.
Throughout his life he was very conscious of the value of resources and would 'recycle reuse and reduce ' before it became government policy or fashionable to do so. He would prefer to repair something even if it was cheaper to replace it. He also enjoyed cooking and baking, and always preferred to stick meticulously to the recipe as much as possible. He used to say 'if you can read you can cook'.
After Dorothy died in 2008, he decided to move to sheltered accommodation provided for retired clergy in Kibworth, Leics, moving there in 2011. However at this time he started to struggle to manage independently as besides the diabetes and hearing difficulties which had developed over the years, his mental health started to deteriorate. After a fall in New Years Eve 2013, he was admitted to hospital where he received the diagnosis of vascular dementia. He was discharged into a care home in Rugby, where he was welcomed back into the church community at St Peters as much as possible. His health gradually deteriorated over the next 2 years, yet when lucid he still demonstrated his Christian faith, by showing concern for others in spite of his own frustrations. He appeared to have some awareness of his faith even as he was losing his ability to communicate, when for several weeks during the summer of 2016 he would say, 'Amen, Amen , Amen', consistently and loudly, over and over again
May his soul rest in peace
wrote
I was told that I met Father Clay when I was four years old. I don't remember that moment. I only remember the kind man who carried my sister Margaret on his tall shoulders and held my hand while we took walks in Luanshya, a small town in Zambia. As I grew up, I wondered how Father Clay and Mama Dorothy ended up in such a small town, taking walks with my sister and I and making us ginger drink. I finally realized that they did not end up there. They were sent there to give my mother, a single young woman with two children to take care of, hope and renewed faith in God. To give her strength in God's plan, and reassure her that angels do come in human form. As a family, we were at our lowest place, and I knew that even at five years old. With unwavering support from Father Clay and Mama Dorothy, and God on our side, my mother went on to have a very successful career. She secured a future for my sister and I, and looked after five of her siblings. Her 'giants' on who's shoulders she stood were Father Clay and Mama Dorothy. Margaret now works with children, and I am a legal practitioner. I am certain that God always had a plan for my family and I, and Father Clay's prayers were with us all the way. Definitely, we wouldn't be who we are now, without Father and Mama Clay's love and support. I last saw Father Clay a week before my university graduation in 2005. I was 23 years old, and as grandfathers do, he joked at how small I was the whole time. In his mind I was still a little girl needing to hold his hand while we took a walk. I could see how proud he was that I had achieved the academic excellence I hoped for as a young girl, and I will never forget that last smile of reassurance. Father Clay's legacy for me is that one kind act of kindness could change a person and their entire family's life forever. I wish my children would have met him and Mama Dorothy. I know we will meet in heaven. Until then, good bye my awesome Grandfather.
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My parents, Shirley and Barry Trelfa, became firm and life-long friends with Peter and Dorothy when they moved to Lichfield. Whilst Peter was working hard, Dorothy and Shirley set up a nursery school, an important provision at a time when there little attention was given to the pre-school age-group. Catherine came on summer holidays with us, my older sister being a similar age; and Peter and Dorothy became my god-parents when I was born. They kept a gentle watchful eye on me all their lives; I spent holidays with them, was introduced to the GFS, and shared stories as I moved into a career of working with individuals, communities and finally education, areas we had in common. Dog walks with Peter in Temple Grafton stay with me; just him and I, when I was young. Walking early in the mornings along the side of fields of crops, talking about anything and everything, his gentle patience and words of insight. Through the greyness of the day, the sun suddenly shone through the window during the service last week, a shaft of coloured light as it came through the stained glass and touched his coffin, a beautiful moment in a touching communion of family and friends, gathered to remember the many ways that Peter - and Dorothy - touched the lives of us all and those who were not able to be there. From the Trelfa family, I send my love.
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At the All Souls Day evening service at All Saints Church, Luton on 6/11/16, I lit a candle for Dad, and also one for our mother Dorothy Clay, who died 4 August 2008. From God we came and to him we return.
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A trust set up to continue my Mum and Dad's memory ito help educate children in Zambia
Any donations welcome - thank you..
gofundme.com/nodi-school-teacher?ssid=793324099&pos=1
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donated in memory of Peter
A true gentleman, providing me with shelter on a few occasions. Rest in peace.
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A good life is not measured in how much money we make, but by how many lives we touch and transform. As a young teenager, I met Fr. Clay at St. Georges Church in Luanshya, Zambia. It was during one of the most trying days of my youth.
I was very poor when I knocked on their door. Mama Clay invited me in. Soon thereafter, she gave me a cup of tea--the tea that nobody who knew the Clays ever missed--we spoke of it as the best tea. Despite my poverty, their house became my second home.
I told Fr. Clay that I felt called to Church ministry. Although I had shared my dream with other African clergy, my poverty led many to dismiss me. Fr. Clay, however, took it personally-- he saw beyond my poverty. It was during his time that I first preached a sermon at St. Georges.
After that sermon, Fr. Clay and Ms. Florence Phiri (whom I am still proud to call my mom) introduced me to the late Bishop Clement Shawa. The bishop thought I was too young to go to Seminary, but Fr. Clay defended me. He even drove me to go and meet the bishop in Ndola. Sadly, he left Zambia before I became a priest. I was afraid of my future then, but he assured me that he had spoken strongly to the bishop on my behalf.
After my ordination, I went for studies at Trinity College, Bristol--Fr. and Mama Clay visited me. I still remember that day--it was a dream come true. In 2000, I returned to Zambia as a priest at St. George's Church, and Dean of Studies at St. John's University College. I lived in the house once occupied by Fr. and mama Clay. It was my sacred stay:
Farewell my Padre,
Farewell my Priest,
Farewell my Father,
Please bid me welcome,
when I follow!
Many people will say great things about Fr. Clay, but I believe that he made me a human person. I am here because of Fr. Clay.
May his soul rest in Peace and rise in Glory; may his life inspire us to love all people; and may his selflessness open us to see the human person beyond the face of poverty. May his love for all humanity give us hope for a better world !
In life,
We meet many people.
Some like the mighty sun,
the sunset bids us farewell.
Others like countless stars,
the dawn wipes them away,
Many like the full moon,
conquered by the rising sun.
Yet only some
are the air we breathe;
Without them,
we see no dawn,
Yes, we see no sunset,
For we are not!
Farewell Fr. Clay,
You remain my air!
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When Peter and I first met he was already suffering with dementia but his kindness, resilient nature, his faith and strength of character shone through immediately. So we started a loving friendship during his time in willow tree, when no one could connect with him all I had to do was hold his hand , looked into his eyes and he just breathed deep and rested knowing there was someone who cared was close by. It was my privilege to have met such a lovely man . RIP Peter
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Good to know there were other people who cared. Thank you Rita for this. God Bless!
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Nodi Trust School would like to thank God for the life of Reverend Father Peter Herbert Clay. For his continued support till his passing on October 14, 2016. The children, teachers and parents of Nodi Trust School commiserates with the Family and we are with you in this trying time. We shall miss Reverend Clay's presence in our lives. May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace
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Reverend Father Peter Herbert Clay served in the Anglican Parish of Luanshya in Zambia from 1987 to 1989. Serving as Parish Priest and Congregation Priest for St. George's Church. There, with his devoted wife Dorothy made a lasting impression on many and especially young people, one of whom is John Kaoma who now is a Priest himself and a writer, living in the United States of America. Other young people that were inspired by Father Clay are many, one also is Samuel Zulu, who also is a Priest now. In the Diocese of Central Zambia Father Clay took a leading role in ecumenism, encouraging working together with other Christian denominations including the Catholic Church. He and his wife took keen interest in empowering and encouraging the Laity to take up Leadership roles in the Church and especially women. For me and my family, Father and Mrs Clay became my mentors, above all, my parents. When their third born child, Alexander visited Ithe in Zambia, he also made particular impact on me and my family that my little daughter Margaret always asked about him. The Clays children became my brothers and sister, they became grand mother and grand father to my children. After they left Zambia, the Clays continued supporting me and my family. I visited their home many times when I was in the UK. Together with Mrs Clay, I was able to introduce the Girls Friendly Society in the Zambian Church which has grown from strength to strength. The relationship that started just as a Parishioner and her Priest has become a family relationship. With his interest in educating and empowering young people, which they both inculcated in me, I am now running a School for young children in Zambia. He has been supporting this school together with his children till his passing on October 14, 2016.. Today, October 25, 2016, we are receiving books for children at this school donated by Books 2 Africa with his and his children's s support as they paid for the shipment. The books will help the children in Community to develop a reading culture as we are opening a Community Library with the ebooks. Reverend Clay with his children have also been helping with paying the wages for one Teacher at the school. So, till his passing, Reverend Father Peter Clay has been empowering the vulnerable and educating for empowerment. I don't know, may be I had an encounter with Angels, may be I lived with Angels? Myself and my children are what we are now because of our encounter with Reverend Father Peter Herbert Clay and his wife Dorothy Kriedman Clay. I am certain Father is now in the hands of his Maker on the Right hand on High and smiling down to us. May both their Souls Rest in Peace. May the Soul of Reverend Father Peter Herbert Clay Rest in Eternal Peace.
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