During his 87 years, Clay Scofield Jr. was an advertising executive, a Christmas tree farmer, a home builder, a teacher, a musician and a published writer. The only thing he didn't do was the thing he wanted to do most: become a physician.
"He did work as a medic in the war and was a biology and pre-med major in college," said his son U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Clayton Scofield III. "But being a doctor was the only thing that didn't come into fruition for him."
Edgar Clayton Scofield Jr., who preferred to go by E. Clayton and was widely known as Clay, died from complications of cancer Thursday at Hospice Atlanta. A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Arrangements were handled by Byars Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Cumming.
The World War II Army veteran was born in Atlanta and attended school in Decatur. He taught himself to play the clarinet, and often sat in with bands traveling through the area.
"He couldn't have been more than 16 or 17 when people started calling him, if they needed him to play with them," said longtime friend Dr. Joseph H. "Skoot" Dimon. "And he was good. Really good."
Mr. Scofield's military service interrupted his studies at Davidson College, but did not keep him from earning a degree. After the war, he graduated and started taking classes to earn a master's degree in English.
Mr. Scofield secured a job at the advertising agency, Liller, Neal and Battle as a copywriter, but left after 17 years to start his own agency. He spent 10 years on his own before leaving advertising altogether and moving to a farm just outside of Blue Ridge. It was there he and his wife decided to plant Christmas trees on their 50-acre property. While living there, Mr. Scofield not only farmed trees, but he edited the weekly paper, wrote for various magazines and built a home.
Dr. Dimon described his friend as "a fearless Renaissance man," who did what he loved and loved what he did.
"If there was something Clay Scofield wanted to do, he'd check a book out of the library and read up on it," he said. "He told us he wanted to build a house out there, and within a couple of years the house appeared."
Writing and editing might have come easily to the literary buff, who was always reading something, friends and family said.
After nearly 20 years as Christmas tree farmers, the Scofield's moved to Blairsville, where they were active in the community, until moving back to the Atlanta area a couple of years ago, their son said.
"He had the energy and the will to do what he wanted to do," Judge Scofield said, of his father.
In addition to his son, Mr. Scofield is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lucy "Bim" Scofield; two more sons, Stephen D. Scofield of Dyersburg, Tenn., and William C. Scofield of San Diego, Calif.; daughter, Lucy S. Bowerman of Hawaii; seven grandchildren and one great grandson.
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