~ IN MEMORY ~
NWA/DL Capt. Weldon Raymond Clayton
October 17, 1953 ~ July 2, 2026
He began his professional aviation career by
flying for commuter airlines for 10 years, first for Scheduled Skyways and then
for Northwest Airlink. In 1995, Weldon
joined Northwest Airlines (08-25-1995), making the move to a major
international carrier. He continued his career through Northwest’s merger with
Delta Air Lines and retired in March 2016……………
Captain Clayton is survived by his wife Donna, and
by his children and their families.
For those who may wish to send a personal note,
the family address is listed in whitepages as
2696 Barrett Dr, Southaven, MS 38672.
PCN memorial site
https://www.colemanfuneralhomeob.com/obituaries/weldon-clayton/#!/Obituary
Obituary for Weldon Clayton
Coleman Funeral Home of Olive Branch
Weldon Raymond Clayton passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on
July 2, 2026, after living valiantly with Parkinson’s disease for the past
decade.
Weldon was born on October 17, 1953, to Weldon Fernando Clayton and Gertrude
Holland Clayton in Malvern, Arkansas. Later moves took him to New Matamoras,
Ohio, and New Johnsonville, Tennessee, before he settled in Memphis, Tennessee,
and later moved to Southaven, Mississippi.
He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 42 years, Donna Wilson Clayton; his
children, David Logan (Melanie), Kelly Slovik (Wally), and Natalie
Clayton-Fancher (Morgan); his grandchildren, Conner Logan, Cole Logan, and
Clayton Fancher; his sister, Linda Delong; his brother, Michael Clayton
(Dianne); seven beloved nieces and five nephews; and many extended family
members, dear friends, and pets.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Weldon Fernando Clayton and Gertrude
Holland Clayton, and his parents-in-law, Glen Keith Wilson, Sr. and Wanda
Glasco Wilson.
He graduated from Waverly Central High School in 1971 and attended Memphis
State University. In 1989, he graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics.
Flying was a major part of his life, with his dream beginning in childhood with
a 50-cent plane ride at a local fair. He began flying lessons in his early
teenage years. In his words, “I used money from my grocery job to pay for my
lessons. Mom and Dad didn’t object; they let me pursue my dream.” He earned his
pilot’s license as a teenager before he even obtained his driver’s license.
He started flying for fun, then moved on to instructing private pilot students
and even teaching aerobatic stunt flying. Among his students was Donna Wilson
Logan, who would soon become his wife of 42 years. As the story goes, he never
did charge Donna a cent for her instruction time. He learned to fly helicopters
in 1984 and later served as a volunteer helicopter pilot for the DeSoto County
Sheriff’s Department from 2008 to 2012. Weldon truly enjoyed the exciting
flights he made while assisting with search-and-rescue operations. He never
lost his love of or excitement for aviation throughout the years.
He began his professional aviation career by flying for commuter airlines for
10 years, first for Scheduled Skyways and then for Northwest Airlink.
In 1995, Weldon joined Northwest Airlines, making the move to a major
international carrier. He continued his career through Northwest’s merger with
Delta Air Lines and retired in March 2016.
His flights took him all around the world, and he regularly flew to major
cities in Europe and Asia, as well as throughout North, Central, and South
America. He loved photographing the amazing places he visited through his work
and sharing those photographs with his family and friends. He was proud to have
landed a jet or private airplane in every state in the United States except
Vermont. He even landed amphibious planes on the Mississippi River. He
continued to fly and own private airplanes for as long as his health allowed,
taking his family on many exciting trips around the country.
Those who knew Weldon knew the vast range of his knowledge. He possessed an
exceptional mind and a lifelong hunger to understand how things worked. His
intelligence was evident not only in the complexity of the aircraft he flew,
but also in the remarkable range of subjects that captured his interest. From
aviation, electronics, ham radio (N5YW), machinery, emerging technology,
reading, and gardening to watercolor painting, he remained endlessly curious.
He was rarely content simply to know that something worked; he wanted to
understand how and why. He was an excellent teacher and mentor who loved
sharing his knowledge and interests not only with his children and
grandchildren, but also with many of his nieces, nephews, and aspiring young
pilots.
Above all, Weldon deeply cherished his family. He was a gentle, witty, loyal,
encouraging, and attentive spouse, father, and grandfather. He adored his son
and daughters and was immensely proud of each of them, never missing an
opportunity to brag about their accomplishments. He believed wholeheartedly in
their abilities and instilled in them the belief that, with education,
determination, and hard work, they could accomplish anything they set their
minds to. He encouraged and supported each of his children to continuously
pursue knowledge, to think for themselves, and to become the very best versions
of themselves. His expectations were always high because his belief in them was
even higher.
That same pride and devotion extended to his three grandsons, who knew him as
Pawpaw. He delighted in their interests and accomplishments and was always
eager to share with others what they were learning and doing. He took enormous
pride in the people his children and grandchildren were becoming.
Of all he accomplished in his remarkable life, his family remained his greatest
source of pride. He will be dearly missed, and his absence will be immeasurably
felt by those who loved him. After a lifetime spent traveling the world, Weldon
often said that no place in it ever meant as much to him as home with his
family.
Friends are invited to a visitation with the family at Broadway Baptist Church
on Saturday, July 11, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. A funeral service
will follow at 12:00 p.m. Dr. Brady Hanssen will officiate.
In lieu of traditional flowers, memorials may be made to the Midsouth Parkinson
Disease Foundation and Support Group at www.midsouthpdsupport.com.
or a charity of your choice.
Online condolences may be left on his tribute wall at www.colemanfuneralhomeob.com
