Alfred Jessie Clay

My name is Regina Clay, a struggling single mom raising a 10-year-old son while trying to help my adult daughter and her two children out. On Saturday, August 8, 2026, I had one of the most wonderful conversations on the phone with my dad. He was so happy as we were laughing and talking. He was looking forward to seeing me and his grandchildren and great grandchildren the very next day on Sunday, August 9th especially because it was going to be before school start on Monday. The next day came (Sunday, August 9th), and I was met with the unexpected and most devastating thing ever. I knocked on the door, and there was no answer. Normally, he would already be up and dressed, and the door would be opened, and he would be seated on his motorized chair, looking through his door screen. His door faced the parking lot so he could easily see when I pulled up. When he didn’t answer, I thought nothing of it, and so I used my key to enter. My adult daughter, my ten-year-old son and my two very young grandchildren were all with me. All of us were excited and eager to talk to my dad, their grandpa about how he wanted to celebrate his upcoming birthday on August 18.

When I entered his apartment, he was peacefully sleeping on the couch, still in his pj’s. I had never seen him look so peaceful. He was cold to the touch, and I thought nothing of it. I shook him and said dad “we’re here, the entire gang, wake up. He didn’t move. I shook him again and again, saying dad it’s time to wake up, but there was no response from him. Then I said, why are you so cold. This is when my daughter immediately rushed over to check his pulse. After moments of checking his pulse, and checking his breathing, she then looked up at me and said, the words I never imagined hearing: “mom, grandpa is gone, he’s gone.” I asked her what do you mean he’s gone? he just needs to wake up, dad we’re here. She grabbed my arm and continued to say, mom grandpa is gone, we have to call 911. I thought this couldn’t be real as I cried out and called 911. Who would imagine coming to see their dad only to find he had died in his sleep. And while my grief is great, my 10-year-old son is devastated as he doesn’t understand the death process of his grandpa. My heart grieves even more to see my son suffering at this great loss of his grandpa. I miss my dad already as does his grandchildren. We're thankful for the precious memories that remain in our hearts of great times spent with him.

I am reaching out because I need financial support and I am truly grateful in advance for any and all support I may receive. I am deeply struggling with this deep grief I feel tugging at my heart. It’s enough to lose my dad but to discover you can’t bury him, my grieve suddenly rose to a level I can’t see. Never did I imagine I would discover the life policy my dad took out would not be sufficient to bury him. I was shocked to learn because my dad died of natural causes early on, before his policy matured that only a refund of his premiums plus interest is payable to the family and not the full benefit. It was more devastating to learn a graded policy refund amounts to $2,275.34, which is not nearly enough to pay for the most budgeted burial costs.

While I truly believe my dad tried to keep me from being in this horrible situation, and yet here I am. No child should have to go through this. Losing my dad is especially hard for me, my daughter, and my grandchildren because now both my parents are gone. There is an emptiness I feel which is truly hard to put into words. I keep thinking it’s all a dream and I will wake from a terrible nightmare. I am trying to handle this loss the best way I know how, but the weight of not knowing how I will be able bury my dad is overwhelming. My father, Alfred Clay, was a wonderful and proud father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. And now I am reaching out through GoFundMe for your support in my unfortunate situation. I appreciate and thank each and every one for your financial support to me during this incredibly difficult time raising funds to bury my dad. All funds received will be used toward all costs associated with funeralizing and burying my dad. All funds will be received by Giddens Memorial Chapel who is handling my dad’s remains.

Thank you,