Carol Joe Clayton (1942 - 1953)

Carol Joe Clayton was born the day before Halloween and died on Valentine’s Day.

He lived with his family next to us in the Clay Homes. He had seven or eight siblings.

Months ago I had planned on mentioning him today. He used to tell me he was born on Halloween day. And while visiting his family at the funeral home when his mother died earlier this year one of his brothers brought up the fact that Carol Joe was born on Halloween and died on Valentine's. But, as you can see, his cemetery marker plainly says he was born October the 30th, a day before Halloween.

Oh well, that is close enough.

When we were 4 or 5 years old Carol Joe enjoyed squatting and taking his dump in plain view. I have always been an early riser. One summer morning I got up before anybody else and went out to play. I didn't have shoes on. I stepped on Carol Joe's shit. I hate that feeling of stepping on human shit barefooted and it gets in between your toes.

I marched to his apartment, went in, and went back to the room he slept in with two of his brothers and woke him up and more or less pushed him outside. I showed him the the squashed shit and told him to never "dookey" in my yard again. As far as I remember he didn't.

When I was in the Navy Carol Joe was driving over one of the two covered bridges in Cobb County. He met a truck head on. It was a one lane bridge. Carol Joe was killed instantly and the bridge crumbled.

Now, there is only one covered bridge in Cobb County.