Obituary for Clayton Milo Blood Sr.
SEARSPORT………Clayton Milo Blood, Sr. died at his home
in Searsport on July 7, 2022, supported by his family and
hospice.
Just last December, he celebrated his 90 th birthday. He
received over 200 cards and emails and he declared that he
had truly led a blessed life.
Clayton had four passions that ran throughout his life. The first
was his family. He declared how fortunate he was to have had
Barbara, the love of his life, as his wife for 65 years. He
derived a lot of joy from his family and he also took his
responsibilities seriously. Part of his daily life was checking in
on his parents. Growing up, his family instilled in him the
importance of eating together as a family, and he continued
that tradition with his own children. One tradition that Clayton
loved was that his family always hugged each other and said , “I love
you.” In the last year of his life, he wrote in his autobiography,
“I can’t think of anything else in today’s society that is more
important than family.”
The second passion was sports. He played both baseball and
basketball in school and played in summer leagues. He loved
coaching baseball, and still kept in contact with some of his
players. Many hours were spent watching his son play, and
later cheering on his grandsons, Matthew and Benjamin’s
basketball and baseball games.
A supporter for the UMO baseball team, Clayton found
sponsors and recruited local students. He was an ardent fan of
the Celtics and Red Sox. Besides cheering for his teams, he
loved to analyze the coaching and discuss what he would have
done.
The third passion was gardening. With his background in
agriculture, he was very knowledgeable and was an avid
gardener. He loved giving vegetables away and sharing his
love of gardening with his grandchildren and great
grandchildren. Michaela was responsible for keeping the
rhubarb patch weeded. Brianna, Carter, and Camden loved
riding the 4 wheeler through the garden with Gramp, following
in the footsteps of Matt ,Ben, Jenna and Cameron, He was
very proud of growing and making over 100 jars of pickles and
relish one year.
The fourth passion was making a difference. When he became
aware of a need, he did not hesitate to organize and lead a
fund raiser or support group. As an educator, he was drawn to
the student who needed something to motivate them or
support them. He didn’t hesitate to bend the rules to help
someone out. Adult education appealed to him so much as he
saw it as a way to help people.
Clayton was born to Mary and Milo Blood on December 14,
1931. The eldest child, his family included brothers, Roy,
Maurice, Stanley and his sister, Carol. After moving from
Belmont, most of his early life was spent on the family farm in
Unity, Maine. Being part of a close-knit loving family and
working hard on the farm shaped his whole life. Starting at the
age of nine, he helped by milking cows, taking care of calves,
cutting ice, logging with horses and cutting firewood, haying,
and growing crops for sale. He does remember growing and
picking strawberries and then selling them for ten cents a
quart. It was not all work on the farm, as he played baseball
with a ball made of twine, and his dad made a basketball for
him from a pig’s bladder. They set a peach basket on a tree for
the hoop. He often said that it was the best kind of upbringing
that anyone could have. He learned the value of hard work,
responsibility and helping others.
Even though Unity high school was small, he didn’t meet his
future wife, Barbara Myrick until they competed for the school
champion in ping pong. He lost gracefully, and they started
dating. They both excelled in sports, and sports remained
important throughout his life. Barbara was the love of his life.
One of his teachers applied for a scholarship for him through
the Sears and Roebuck catalog. He was awarded $100 and
that allowed him to attend the University of Maine. When he
told that story, he always stressed about how one person can
make a great difference in the life of another person.
Clayton began his teaching career in 1953, as an agriculture
teacher, basketball coach and administrator at Bucksport High
School.
After a brief stint serving as an insurance manager in New
Hampshire, he returned to teaching in Searsport. He also
served as an administrator, athletic director and baseball
coach. He was very proud coaching his team to win the state
class C baseball championship in 1972. Many of his baseball
players are still in touch with him. Every spring he would take
Matthew and Ben to American legion games and later to UMO
baseball games.
While at Searsport, he became very involved in adult
education. It all began when a local company asked him if he
could provide some math classes for their employees. That
was successful, so the plan was revised to help many of the
employees earn their high school diploma or equivalent. He
then set up and oversaw programs at Mt. View, Belfast, and
Searsport. That led him to work for the Maine Department of
Education as the state consultant for the GED program. He
was very proud of developing training programs for businesses
and he personally signed over 36,000 diplomas. He helped
develop the test for the GED and took classes directly to
businesses’ so workers didn’t have to travel or leave work to
acquire a GED. He received a number of awards for his
accomplishments. He felt very strongly that the adults who
had worked so hard to earn their diplomas or GED’s deserved
to be recognized and celebrate their success. He traveled
throughout the state speaking at many of the adult
graduations. If they cried tears of joy, so did he.
Clayton and Barbara began their life together in a small trailer
parked at UMO. Their daughter, Jennifer was born and they
moved to Bucksport where they had two more children:
Babette and Clayton Jr. After Bucksport, they moved to New
Hampshire where he served as a regional insurance manager
for a few years. He missed teaching so they returned to Maine
and settled in Searsport, where they lived for 60 years. They
joined and were active in the Searsport Congregational church.
Clayton was a life long deacon and enjoyed planning and
working on many fund-raising suppers. Fish chowder was one
of his specialties. In the last few years they attended the
Brooks Congregational Church where they gained more
friends. A lot of their activities revolved around the school, but
their favorite activity was to go dancing. Going to the Red Barn
with a group of friends was something they looked forward to.
Throughout the years, Clayton remained close to his parents
and siblings. The extended family always got together for
holiday meals. A family camp, “the cottage”, on St. George
Lake in Liberty was the perfect spot for swimming, boating and
fishing. He caught a 9 pound 5 ounce salmon in St. George
lake with a grey ghost streamer. Clayton taught all of his
children to fish and gave tips to his grandsons and great
grandsons.
Clayton loved spending time at the hunting camp on Frye
Mountain. It was a special place for Clayton, his brothers,
father, and friends. Elaborate hunter breakfasts were expected
and Clayton was often the cook.
Their children were the source of much pride and joy. When
they married and had children that joy became even greater.
Jennifer married Pat Garrett and had daughters, Michaela and
Brianna. Babette married Derwin White and had sons,
Matthew and Benjamin. Clayton Jr. married Kim Moores and
had Jenna and Cameron. Their family continued to grow as
Matt married Avery Barrett and had children, Carter, Camden
and Peyton. Ben married Brittany Brewer. Jenna married
Todd Biehn and had children, Tripp and Iris. Cameron is now
engaged to Calla. The house is full of photos of all of the
family, especially grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Both Barbara and Clayton loved being part of their lives.
Now he will once again be with the love of his life, Barbara.
A memorial service will be held at the Searsport Congregational
Church at 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 21. Masks are required.
Condolences may be shared at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com.
Memorial gifts may be made to Searsport First Congregational
Church., P.O. Box 261, Searsport, ME 04974, or to the
Congregational Church of Brooks, 22 Veterans Hwy, Brooks, ME
04921.
Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home & Cremation
Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.
in Searsport on July 7, 2022, supported by his family and
hospice.
Just last December, he celebrated his 90 th birthday. He
received over 200 cards and emails and he declared that he
had truly led a blessed life.
Clayton had four passions that ran throughout his life. The first
was his family. He declared how fortunate he was to have had
Barbara, the love of his life, as his wife for 65 years. He
derived a lot of joy from his family and he also took his
responsibilities seriously. Part of his daily life was checking in
on his parents. Growing up, his family instilled in him the
importance of eating together as a family, and he continued
that tradition with his own children. One tradition that Clayton
loved was that his family always hugged each other and said , “I love
you.” In the last year of his life, he wrote in his autobiography,
“I can’t think of anything else in today’s society that is more
important than family.”
The second passion was sports. He played both baseball and
basketball in school and played in summer leagues. He loved
coaching baseball, and still kept in contact with some of his
players. Many hours were spent watching his son play, and
later cheering on his grandsons, Matthew and Benjamin’s
basketball and baseball games.
A supporter for the UMO baseball team, Clayton found
sponsors and recruited local students. He was an ardent fan of
the Celtics and Red Sox. Besides cheering for his teams, he
loved to analyze the coaching and discuss what he would have
done.
The third passion was gardening. With his background in
agriculture, he was very knowledgeable and was an avid
gardener. He loved giving vegetables away and sharing his
love of gardening with his grandchildren and great
grandchildren. Michaela was responsible for keeping the
rhubarb patch weeded. Brianna, Carter, and Camden loved
riding the 4 wheeler through the garden with Gramp, following
in the footsteps of Matt ,Ben, Jenna and Cameron, He was
very proud of growing and making over 100 jars of pickles and
relish one year.
The fourth passion was making a difference. When he became
aware of a need, he did not hesitate to organize and lead a
fund raiser or support group. As an educator, he was drawn to
the student who needed something to motivate them or
support them. He didn’t hesitate to bend the rules to help
someone out. Adult education appealed to him so much as he
saw it as a way to help people.
Clayton was born to Mary and Milo Blood on December 14,
1931. The eldest child, his family included brothers, Roy,
Maurice, Stanley and his sister, Carol. After moving from
Belmont, most of his early life was spent on the family farm in
Unity, Maine. Being part of a close-knit loving family and
working hard on the farm shaped his whole life. Starting at the
age of nine, he helped by milking cows, taking care of calves,
cutting ice, logging with horses and cutting firewood, haying,
and growing crops for sale. He does remember growing and
picking strawberries and then selling them for ten cents a
quart. It was not all work on the farm, as he played baseball
with a ball made of twine, and his dad made a basketball for
him from a pig’s bladder. They set a peach basket on a tree for
the hoop. He often said that it was the best kind of upbringing
that anyone could have. He learned the value of hard work,
responsibility and helping others.
Even though Unity high school was small, he didn’t meet his
future wife, Barbara Myrick until they competed for the school
champion in ping pong. He lost gracefully, and they started
dating. They both excelled in sports, and sports remained
important throughout his life. Barbara was the love of his life.
One of his teachers applied for a scholarship for him through
the Sears and Roebuck catalog. He was awarded $100 and
that allowed him to attend the University of Maine. When he
told that story, he always stressed about how one person can
make a great difference in the life of another person.
Clayton began his teaching career in 1953, as an agriculture
teacher, basketball coach and administrator at Bucksport High
School.
After a brief stint serving as an insurance manager in New
Hampshire, he returned to teaching in Searsport. He also
served as an administrator, athletic director and baseball
coach. He was very proud coaching his team to win the state
class C baseball championship in 1972. Many of his baseball
players are still in touch with him. Every spring he would take
Matthew and Ben to American legion games and later to UMO
baseball games.
While at Searsport, he became very involved in adult
education. It all began when a local company asked him if he
could provide some math classes for their employees. That
was successful, so the plan was revised to help many of the
employees earn their high school diploma or equivalent. He
then set up and oversaw programs at Mt. View, Belfast, and
Searsport. That led him to work for the Maine Department of
Education as the state consultant for the GED program. He
was very proud of developing training programs for businesses
and he personally signed over 36,000 diplomas. He helped
develop the test for the GED and took classes directly to
businesses’ so workers didn’t have to travel or leave work to
acquire a GED. He received a number of awards for his
accomplishments. He felt very strongly that the adults who
had worked so hard to earn their diplomas or GED’s deserved
to be recognized and celebrate their success. He traveled
throughout the state speaking at many of the adult
graduations. If they cried tears of joy, so did he.
Clayton and Barbara began their life together in a small trailer
parked at UMO. Their daughter, Jennifer was born and they
moved to Bucksport where they had two more children:
Babette and Clayton Jr. After Bucksport, they moved to New
Hampshire where he served as a regional insurance manager
for a few years. He missed teaching so they returned to Maine
and settled in Searsport, where they lived for 60 years. They
joined and were active in the Searsport Congregational church.
Clayton was a life long deacon and enjoyed planning and
working on many fund-raising suppers. Fish chowder was one
of his specialties. In the last few years they attended the
Brooks Congregational Church where they gained more
friends. A lot of their activities revolved around the school, but
their favorite activity was to go dancing. Going to the Red Barn
with a group of friends was something they looked forward to.
Throughout the years, Clayton remained close to his parents
and siblings. The extended family always got together for
holiday meals. A family camp, “the cottage”, on St. George
Lake in Liberty was the perfect spot for swimming, boating and
fishing. He caught a 9 pound 5 ounce salmon in St. George
lake with a grey ghost streamer. Clayton taught all of his
children to fish and gave tips to his grandsons and great
grandsons.
Clayton loved spending time at the hunting camp on Frye
Mountain. It was a special place for Clayton, his brothers,
father, and friends. Elaborate hunter breakfasts were expected
and Clayton was often the cook.
Their children were the source of much pride and joy. When
they married and had children that joy became even greater.
Jennifer married Pat Garrett and had daughters, Michaela and
Brianna. Babette married Derwin White and had sons,
Matthew and Benjamin. Clayton Jr. married Kim Moores and
had Jenna and Cameron. Their family continued to grow as
Matt married Avery Barrett and had children, Carter, Camden
and Peyton. Ben married Brittany Brewer. Jenna married
Todd Biehn and had children, Tripp and Iris. Cameron is now
engaged to Calla. The house is full of photos of all of the
family, especially grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Both Barbara and Clayton loved being part of their lives.
Now he will once again be with the love of his life, Barbara.
A memorial service will be held at the Searsport Congregational
Church at 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 21. Masks are required.
Condolences may be shared at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com.
Memorial gifts may be made to Searsport First Congregational
Church., P.O. Box 261, Searsport, ME 04974, or to the
Congregational Church of Brooks, 22 Veterans Hwy, Brooks, ME
04921.
Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home & Cremation
Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.