Clayton Reed Hilyard, b. Sept. 27, 1921; d. Sept. 29, 2012.

Clayton Hilyard, 91, of Warsaw, Missouri, passed away Saturday evening at his home. A memorial service is planned for 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 29, at the Schmitt Funeral Home in WaKeeney, KS, with interment immediately following at the VA Cemetery in WaKeeney.

Clayton was born Sept. 27, 1921, in Severy, KS, the youngest child of Austin and Aleen Hilyard. He had one sister, Mildred. Clayton enjoyed hunting and fishing, camping and sight-seeing as a child and on into adulthood.


Clayton attended Business College in Wichita, KS, where he met and later married his wife, Frances Walker. From this union they had two daughters, Marlys and Cynthia.

In 1942, during the Second World War, he enlisted in the Navy and was a gunner on the USS Wasp. He finished that assignment in 1945.

In 1946, Clayton and his wife moved to Trego County (WaKeeney), KS, where he helped his father-in-law on their farm. Clayton later took over the farm and worked the wheat and cattle operation for the next 35 years. After that, selling the farm, they moved to Kansas City, KS, where he worked as a supervisor at Rocky Mountain Pre-stress Concrete Company for five years. Clayton and his wife were divorced around this time. He then relocated to Warsaw, MO, where he lived out his remaining years. He had two wonderful care-givers who helped him in his home, Steve and Virginia Williams, of Warsaw.

During the last years of his life, Clayton enjoyed going to the Rusty Skillet Restaurant in Warsaw a couple times a day. It became a second home, with the same friendly smiling faces each day. He enjoyed feeding his birds in his back yard. He also enjoyed nature and the changing of the seasons.

Clayton is survived by his daughters, Marlys (Hutch) Jernigan from Raymore, MO, and Cynthia (Perry) Comeau from Oelwein, IA. Clayton had five grandsons and fourteen great-grandchildren.