Ruth Agnes Dunkley Clayton

Ruth Agnes Dunkley Clayton, 83, passed away on May 12, 2026 in Cary, North Carolina, following a month-long bout with cancer.

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She was a native of Person County and a long-time Cary resident. She was born to Ellis and Agnes Harris Dunkley on September 19, 1942. Ruth married Edward Clayton, her high school sweetheart, life mate, and best friend, who survives her.

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Also surviving are sons Gary Clayton of Person County and Kevin Clayton (Patti) of Cary, brothers Donnie Dunkley (Rozelyn) of Henderson and Shaub Dunkley of Candler, sister-in-law Lois Dunkley of Roxboro, and brother-in-law Earl Clayton of Cary. She was predeceased by her parents and brother, Ronnie Dunkley.

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She and Ed met as juniors at Roxboro High School in a public speaking class. After graduating, she became a nursing student at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham. Two years later, the two of them married and moved into married student housing at NC State University, where Ed was an engineering student. During that time, Ruth worked in the obstetrics department at WakeMed.

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Ruth and Ed were blessed with two sons, Gary and Kevin. Ruth said that she had always been a part of all-boy families. She was the oldest of four children, with three brothers. She joked that as a mother, she also had three boys, the two sons plus Ed. Ruth embodied the very essence of motherhood—always knowing exactly what to do and how to care. Friendships with classmates in the Roxboro High School Class of 1960 were important to both Ruth and Ed. Appropriately, the class motto is “Friends for Life.”

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Ruth returned to her calling after her sons were grown and Ed retired, becoming a nurse in a doctor’s office. She earned a reputation for painless shots, and her compassionate nature won her many friends among the staff and patients.

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As Ruth and Ed aged, she precipitated their move to Glenaire, a senior living community in Cary. Living in a cottage, she enjoyed tending to her flowers and making many friends.
Ruth embodied the principles of kindness and compassion. She was (and always will be) the heart of our family, making all of our time together special. She loved unconditionally and always tried to empathize with and lift the spirits of everyone around her. She was a world-class hugger.

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In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to a charity of one’s choice.

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A Celebration of Life to honor Ruth’s life will be held at Glenaire (4000 Glenaire Circle, Cary) at 10:00 am on Thursday, May 21. A second Celebration of Life will be held at the church of her youth, Lamberth Memorial Baptist Church (1026 Longs Store Rd, Roxboro), at 3:00 pm on Sunday, May 31.

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Ruth enriched so many lives through the years, and hers was blessed in turn. She would encourage us all, even as we miss her so deeply, to look up at the moon at night—as she loved doing—and rest assured that “The light of the moon shall carry my thoughts to you through the darkness. They will comfort your heart, knowing we are connected and you are never alone.”