Jeffrey Willis Clayton

Jeffrey Willis (“Jeff”) Clayton, 67, passed away at his Mechums River, Virginia residence on Sunday, June 28, 2026, after a courageous ten-year battle with lung cancer. He was born on October 23, 1958, to the late John Willis Clayton, Jr. and Annie Daniel Clayton.

He is survived by his two daughters, Amy Hill (husband Cary Hill) of Blacksburg, Virginia, and Katherine Colquitt (husband Cam Colquitt) of Lynchburg, Virginia; seven grandchildren, Gabe Hill, Zeke Hill, Huck Hill, Audrey Hill, Joia Colquitt, Mira Colquitt, and Vera Colquitt; his older brother, Michael Clayton (wife Sharon Clayton) of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Peggy Johnson Clayton, wife of the late John Willis Clayton, Jr.

Jeff was a third generation Albemarle County farmer and successor to the farms and the family business of John W. Clayton & Son. Jeff was a well-known and respected farmer, raising beef cattle and crops, and his company, started in 1940, initially served farmers with lime and fertilizer, later expanding to the sale of mulch, topsoil, and gravel.

Jeff graduated from Albemarle High School and attended Piedmont Virginia Community College, acquiring various agricultural certifications to enhance his ability to farm as well as serve his farming customers. He was a licensed pilot, with more than a thousand hours in the air in his Cessna 172M, and an avid boater, frequently sharing his pontoon boat with family and friends on Lake Anna. He loved farming and the land, but more than anything loved his time with his daughters, grandchildren, and sons-in-law, uniformly attending, even showing up early to, all family events. Always ready to assist a neighbor in need, Jeff was known for his low-key intervention and support of those needing help.