Obituary of William H Claxton

William H. Claxton was born in Clinton, KY.  He was a graduate of Murray State University in Kentucky.  He spent more than 33 years with the Bell System/AT&T, including 3 years with American Bell International in Tehran, Iran.

After retiring from AT&T, he attended law school at the Jacob D. Furshburg Law School at Touro University on Long Island.  He then went into Administrative Law and became Of Counsel to Celli & Schlossberg, L.L.C. in Morristown and subsequently went into private practice.  He performed legal work for The Calais School and then became a member of their Board of Trustees.  He was co-founder of The Calais Foundation to provide resources not otherwise available to the special needs community.  He was a Deacon and member of the men’s bible study at Hilltop Presbyterian Church, Mendham.  He was involved in many civic and community activities, including the Burnham Park Environmental Group and the Open Space Committee for Morris Township.  He loved the outdoors including fishing and hunting with his children and grandchildren. 

He was a resident of Morris Township with his wife of 41 years, Kathy.  He is also survived by his four daughters; Cathy (Jim) Elmore, Houston, TX, Daphne (Terry) Renaud, Louisville, KY, Stephanie (Rusty) Evans, Atlanta, GA and Jennifer (Del) Price, Atlanta, GA; grandchildren; Tess Vestal (Katie); William Elmore (Mandy Ranalli), Lauren Renaud, Cameron Renaud, two sisters; Beverly Daugherty, Irvine, CA and Ann Elliott, Oak Ridge, TN, a brother-in-law Joseph Lepore and a sister-in-law Shari Lepore.

Visitation will be Thursday, January 31, from 4-7 pm at the Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Road, Mendham. Funeral Service Friday, 10 am First Presbyterian Church, Mendham.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hilltop Presbyterian Church, 14 Hilltop Road, Mendham, NJ 07945 or The Calais Foundation, 45 Highland Avenue, Whippany, NJ 07981.