Clayton Reaser

It is with full hearts that the family of Clayton Paul Reaser shares the news that he died peacefully in his home on March 8, 2025.

Clay was born in Danville, PA in November of 1938 to Rev. Paul L. and H. Jean Reaser. He graduated from high school in York, PA in 1957 and from Gettysburg College in 1961. He held a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, a Master of Arts from Temple University, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Counseling from SUNY Plattsburgh.

Throughout his life, Clay and his wife, Sue, shared many adventures that took them from Pennsylvania to Westport, NY by way of Detroit, Philadelphia, New York City, and Keene Valley. His professional life encompassed several phases, all of them focused on service to others, nurturing his community, and a deep commitment to lifting others' voices and fostering leadership. He did this by example. In 1964, Clay started out as a Lutheran minister in the suburbs of Detroit, where he worked to support at-risk teens and to create connections between his congregation and city churches. He and Sue then moved to Philadelphia so that he could pursue his master's degree in comparative world religions at Temple. After graduating, he worked for two years at Lutheran Social Services in New York City.

In the early 1970's Clay and Sue decided they wanted a lifestyle change and determined that they were going to find a place they loved to live and then figure out how to make it feasible to remain there. To their great good fortune, this brought them and their daughter, Jennifer, to the Adirondacks as the live-in managers of Trails End Inn in Keene Valley, NY, where they entertained intrepid hikers and skiers, met life-long friends, and fell in love with this mountain/lake environment that has been their home for over half a century.

After leaving the Inn, Clay went on to work in the Lake Placid school system for fifteen years, followed by ten years as a school counselor in the Keene Central School. Upon retirement from Keene, he became a professor in the school counseling department of SUNY Plattsburgh, where he taught for ten years. In between his professional responsibilities, Clay and Sue built their house with their own hands and the expert assistance of dear family and friends. The two adventurers also fell in love with travel and Clay relished planning wonderful trips that took them, their family, and friends across the U.S. and Europe. They navigated winding roads, rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, guided narrowboats on canals, and cross-country skied Yellowstone in January.

Clay was a man of many interests and talents. He was a community leader who was deeply involved in founding the Westport-Wadhams Alliance which is focused on local economic and community vitality, and in supporting the Whallonsburg Grange and Westport Heritage House. He was also a golfer, marathoner, kayaker, cross-country skier, mountain climber, occasional actor, movie buff and, most importantly, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, mentor, and steadfast friend to many. Clay was a person who was full of love and who shared that love with all those around him. He shared his love quietly and in a way that made his love easy to receive and return. On walks and hikes through the hills and mountains of the Adirondacks with him, one could learn what it means to be confident without braggadocio, generous without needing reciprocation, and relaxed in a way that extended peace to his companions. In these ways, and so many others, Clay set the finest example of how to live in grace and show love to the world.

Clay is survived by his wife of 62+ years, Sue, their daughter, Jennifer Glass, his son-in-law, Andrew Glass, his granddaughters Caroline Glass and Emily Glass, his brothers Joel Reaser and Philip Reaser and their families, his sisters Joy Mertz and Corola Rohrbaugh and their families.

Clay's family wishes to thank the many community members, family, and friends who supported him and them during his brief illness; your steadfast love and support sustained them.

If you would like to honor Clay's life, please consider the following organizations:

High Peaks Hospice

Westport-Wadhams Alliance

Whallonsburg Grange

The Heritage House, Westport

And always, the very best way to honor the life of Clayton Paul Reaser is to love one another without condition. We plan to gather at a later date for a celebration of his life.

Services were entrusted to Heidrick Funeral Home, PO Box 188, 7521 Court St., Elizabethtown, NY 12932.