Sheila Rita Clayton
Sheila Rita Clayton
04/24/1947-12/05/2023
Sheila Rita Clayton passed away in the early morning hours Tuesday December 5th 2023 at the age of 76. She was preceded in death by her parents Edward and Elsie Eckert. She is survived by her daughter Erin Howard, granddaughter Rachel Elsie Olivia Howard, and her dog Stewie.
Sheila worked for many years with the City of University City serving as a Police Dispatcher and then a Housing Inspector. She cherished her family, friends, neighbors, and one could always count on her to be there for support. She loved to drive to any destination, long or short. She loved working in her yard and took great pride in every task she took on. She was loyal, trustworthy, and non-judgmental. Sheila lived life on her terms, unapologetically.
Growing up and still now my mom is/was the strongest person I have ever known; even though behind that strength she struggled herself, outwardly you would have never known. It was so unfortunate that her last years were spent battling blindness, multiple strokes, ANCA vasculitis and depression. With every diagnosis I was always impressed on how hard she worked to recover. It is with great sadness but also relief that she passed while I held her, she feels pain no more. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
For those wishing to express sympathies, donations can be made in Sheila’s name to the APA (Animal Protection Association) or The Bright Focus Foundation for Macular Degeneration Research.
Service Information:
St. Peters, MO 63376
Sheila was a friend, confidante and mentor to me. We followed the same path at work. She had a great smile and sense of humor, but yes she had no filter and that was a trait to be admired. She will be missed.
Sheila and I were friends since our junior year of high school. She was more the sister I never had than just a friend. We had the absolute best laughs together and some of the best memories were made together. Sheila was not only intelligent, but had a huge amount of common sense. She went through hell the past couple of years and she is past that now. But damn, I’ll miss her.