John Henry Clanton

Hurst—John Henry Clanton, 86, passed away at his home Saturday, September 2, 2017.
Visitation will be held Wednesday 6pm - 8pm at Lucas Funeral Home, 1321 Precinct Line Rd. Hurst. PRAYER SERVICE: 10 a.m. Thursday, September 7, at St. John’s Catholic Church, 7341 Glenview Drive, North Richland Hills, TX. Interment: Bluebonnet Hills Cemetery. There will be a celebration of John Henry’s life at 1708 Cimarron Trail, Hurst, immediately following the internment. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the HEB ISD Education Foundation at https://www.tmcfunding.com/search-memorials/campaign/1695?layout=single
John Henry was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he played minor league baseball, started his first career on the railroad, and met lifelong friends. His friend, Bill Bookout, convinced him to give up the railroad and Wichita Falls, and come to El Paso, Texas to start a new career as a high school football coach. In El Paso, John Henry met the love of his life, Patsy Marty. They married in 1961 and soon had a daughter, Marci Lynn. John Henry cherished his new role as a father and doted on Marci for the rest of his life.
In 1966, the Clantons left West Texas for the booming suburb of Hurst and new jobs as junior high teachers in HEB ISD. For the next thirty years, both in and out of the classroom, John Henry and Patsy taught and mentored generations of HEB students. From Central Junior High, to Trinity High School, to the HEB Technical Education Center, John Henry put this students first and did everything he could to make sure they succeeded. Finally, in 1993 seeing how much fun Patsy had in retirement, John Henry decided to hang up his suit and spend more time with his grandchildren. HEB, however, was not done with John Henry and he would go on to serve three terms in the HEB school board in retirement, shepherding it through a generational expansion into the new millennium.
John Henry dedicated his life to service to others, and that dedication hardly stopped when he left school. He was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather, who always placed the needs of his family above his own. Whether it was sneaking out of the office early to cook dinner each night for his family, or getting up at 5:30 am to take his grandson and friends to high school band practice, John Henry was the rock of the Clanton clan. We will all miss his cooking, his smile, and his laugh, but most of all we will miss his limitless, unconditional love.
Thanks for the memories, Babe!
John Henry is survived by his loving wife, Patsy Clanton, his daughter Marci (Gary), his grandson Ryan (Erin), his granddaughter Heather (Ryan), and a lifetime’s worth of friends.