William Clay Whitaker, 26, of Lookout Mountain, died on Friday, November 1, 2019.
Clay was a 2018 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville and was living in Bozeman, Montana where he was preparing for entry into nursing school at the time of his death. He graduated high school from New River Academy in West Virginia, spending his high school years (and after) kayaking whitewater rivers around the world.
Clay was smart, charming, unpretentious, and brave. He cared deeply about the natural environment and those with vulnerabilities, whether human or animal. He loved outdoor life and spent his free-time, both in Montana and in North Carolina, fishing, rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking and backpacking, usually with his loyal dog and constant companion, Turtle.
Clay was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Bev Burgess, and his paternal grandfather, Phil Whitaker. He is survived by and deeply missed by his parents, Cindy and Philip Whitaker, his brothers, Bailey Whitaker (Chanel) and Addison Whitaker (Annie), his maternal grandfather, Wayne Burgess, his paternal grandmother, Ellen Whitaker, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at Good Shepherd Church on Lookout Mountain, with a reception to follow at the Lookout Mountain Golf Club.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in Clay’s memory be made to the Dade Animal Resource Team (“DART”), P.O. Box 9, Lookout Mountain, Tennessee 37350.