Clay Doug McCraw 89 passed away Saturday at Hendrick Hospice Unit. A visitation will be held Tuesday July 24 2012 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at North's Memorial Chapel 242 Orange Street . The funeral will be at Hodges Baptist Church Wednesday July 25 2012 at 10:30 a.m. with Matt Cheevers officiating burial to follow in Midway Cemetery under the direction of North's Funeral Home. He was born January 9 1923 near Hodges Texas to John and Virginia McCraw and attended Midway School until it closed and finished his education at Hawley Texas . He enjoyed calf roping and rodeoing and won five trophy saddles and eleven belt buckles and many other awards. When he was eight he bought a colt with money he made picking cotton. He trained him and began attending roping and rodeos with his uncles Howard McCraw and Jack Stricklin and his cousin Larry McCraw. He continued roping throughout his life he and Jack joined the National Old Time Ropers Association when they were sixty and rodeoed with their wives until they were in their late seventies. He married Dorothy Dunagin of Stith in 1949 and his son Douglas was born in 1955. Clay served in the United States Army where he was Top Turret Gunner on a B-24 bomber in World War II until the war ended in 1945. He became a member of Hodges Baptist Church when it was founded as a child. Clay and his wife Dorothy were members and faithfully attended until her death in 2005 he then continued to attend services after as long as his heath allowed. He was a welder plumber pipe fitter on commercial heating and air conditioning. He worked on the construction of many original buildings at ACU McMurry HSU and the Abilene School System. He was a foreman for Batjer and Associates Mechanical Contractors on the construction of the WTU Ft. Phantom Lake Power Plant and the Bank Tower at 500 Chestnut. He pioneered welding of many different materials as they were invented and tried including stainless steel and glass pipe. He taught classes on welding plumbing and installation of heat and air systems for large commercial buildings at Purdue University in Illinois . When he retired he began farming and ranching and was still doing much of the farm and ranch work himself up until 89 years of age. Clay was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy that preceded him in death in 2005; his parents John and Virginia McCraw two sisters Dassye McCraw Cottingham and Lila McCraw Waddle; and one brother J.D. McCraw. He is survived by his son Douglas McCraw of Abilene ; by his companion Claudene Holt of Abilene and many relatives and friends. The family requests donations to Hendrick Hospice Care in place of flowers. Online condolences can be made at www.northsfuneralhome.com.