Dr. Virginia Cannon Clay didn’t set out in life to be a great leader – she set out to make a difference. Great leaders and mentors are not about roles – but goals – and Ginny was sensitive to the calling of the Lord on her heart to share the Good News – with words when necessary – and set her life on harvesting the talents the Lord instilled in her.
Ginny Clay, 69, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday afternoon, March 22, 2016. She was in an auto accident just a few miles away from her beloved lake house at Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee.
Ginny is not a woman who will be easily forgotten, and the lives she changed is a number far beyond what any one person can know. Among her loves was one of quilting; and her life very much resembled one of her lovely quilts. Communities across the country and around the world were greatly influenced by Ginny and will sorely miss her.
One of the pieces that made up the quilt of her life was the time she spent as a professional educator, teaching at the high school and college levels and retiring as the Career Technical Director at Madison Comprehensive High School in Mansfield, Ohio.
Other pieces of her quilt were Tennessee Trek, a summer camp for junior high and high school kids, telling stories to everyone about everything, involvement with her church family at Berean Baptist Church, her support and involvement in mission work in the Dominican Republic, time spent on the board of the Salvation Army in Mansfield, friends made and kept while travelling around the country in their Roadtrek, her love of gardening, reading and camping, doing Cannon and Gardner genealogy, the local group of quilters she organized and mentored, and the very significant involvement in the lives of her family members, especially her grandchildren.
She will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, unceasing energy, determination, friendship and Christlikeness.
Ginny was born on Dec. 24, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky, and was raised in Georgetown, Indiana. She was married to Roger Clay for 35 years and they loved serving Christ together.
Ginny is survived by her husband Roger; children Geoff (Gwen) Tipton, Deanna (David) Lampert, Denis (Peggy) Clay, Devra Rochelle and Darcy Rabinovich; grandchildren Rachel, Rebecca, Anna, Matthew (Lindsay), Sarah (Cody), Josh (Megan), Duncan (Stephanie), Morgan, Yaakov “Jay,” Amy (Ryan), Daniel, Julie (Steven), Jonathan (Kate), and Lisa (Adam); great-grandchildren Leo, Olivia, Malia, Kalli, Devin, Alexander, Eloise, Elianna, and Emerson; brother Ronald (Vangie) Cannon; nieces Lisa (Kevin) Wideman, and Debbie (Doug) Raymond; great-nephews Nicholas, Andrew, and Matthew.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ellis William & Lottie Mae (Gardner) Cannon.
The Clay family will receive friends Monday, March 28, 2016 from 3 to 7 p.m. in Berean Baptist Church 2145 Middle-Bellville Rd., Mansfield, where a worship service, giving glory to God for the life of Ginny Clay will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. Pastors H. Dale Burke and Nate Meyers will officiate.
A graveside service will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Louisville Memorial Gardens West with Pastor Jim Berry officiating. The Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home is handling funeral arrangements.
Contributions in Ginny’s memory are encourage to benefit the ongoing ministry of Tennessee Trek (Please make checks payable: Oxford Bible Fellowship; memo: Trek Clay Memorial), and may be made through the funeral home.
Snyder Funeral Home is honored to serve the Clay family. Send them a message of support – and watch Ginny’s tribute video – online at SnyderFuneralHome.com.
