Wanda E. Clay

A funeral service for Wanda Elaine (Hunter) Clay, 72, of Cleburne, will be held at 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at First Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1005 Chase Avenue, Cleburne, TX 7603, with Rev Donald Earl officiating. Interment will follow in the Greenlawn Cemetery, Cleburne with Jeremy Morgan, Brandon Clay, Justin Clay, Marcus Levels, Bernard Smith and Joseph Washington serving as pallbearers. There will be a time of visitation prior to service for family and friends from 11:00-12:00 PM.

Wanda Elaine (Hunter) Clay peacefully departed this life on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cleburne, TX. She was born on September 25, 1952, in Dayton, Texas. She was the eldest child of Rev. Cornelius Hunter and Marcye Lee (Baldwin) Hunter. Wanda was raised in a Christian home grounded in faith, love, and family values.

She attended public schools in Fort Worth and graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1970. During her school years, Wanda discovered her love for music—she sang in the choir and became an accomplished trumpet player. She later enrolled at Tarrant County Junior College, where she enjoyed participating in various extracurricular activities and forming lasting friendships.

Wanda began her professional career at Montgomery Ward on Riverside Drive in Fort Worth. She later joined the City of Cleburne, where she dedicated over two decades of service. Wanda retired as a respected manager in the Water Department after 23 years of faithful and diligent work.

Wanda met the love of her life, Robert Lee Clay, Jr., through a mutual family friend. On September 29, 1973, the couple was united in holy matrimony by Rev. Edward Ingram in a beautiful church ceremony. Their bond was unwavering, and they remained inseparable throughout their 51 years of marriage. From this union, they welcomed their beloved son, Tremaine J. Clay, on May 17, 1980.

A devoted woman of faith, Wanda was a long-standing and faithful member of Great Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Cleburne, TX, under the leadership of her father. Over the years, she served with passion and purpose—as a dedicated youth director, a cherished member of the choir, and a pillar of strength within the congregation. With a voice like an angel, Wanda’s singing left a lasting impression on all who heard her.

She was preceded in death by her beloved father, Rev. Cornelius Hunter.

Wanda leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and kindness. Her memory will be forever cherished by her devoted husband of 51 years, Robert Clay, Jr.; her son, Tremaine Clay (Jessica) of Lubbock, TX; and her son, Kevin Penigar (Pam) of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by six adored grandchildren. Wanda is survived by her mother, Marcye Hunter of Cleburne, TX; brother, Erick Hunter of Cleburne, TX; sister Tammy Washington of Woodbridge, VA; a host of loving nieces, nephews, extended family, and countless friends whose lives she touched deeply.