Gregg Clanton

No words can quite come together beautifully enough to honor my dad, Gregg Clanton. He was an amazing father, husband, uncle, brother, friend, and person. Anyone that knew dad knew that he loved the Lord and it overflowed through his interaction with others. Not enough good can be said to do him justice. He was the most patient person I’ve ever known, he was such a hard and honest worker, and he loved people. You would never catch him uttering a negative comment about anyone. Everyone that knew him, loved and respected him.

I didn’t know I could become more proud of my dad than I already was before his battle with cancer. On April of 2016, dad was diagnosed with a grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma. After surgery, and chemo and radiation treatments, the tumor returned and came back as a grade 4 Glioblastoma. He continued to fight through multiple chemo/radiation treatments, more surgeries, and a clinical trial. He was never negative and pushed himself every day to continue working, whether it was outside or with his business. Even when we asked him to slow down and rest, he continued to go about his normal routine no matter how weak he was feeling. If you knew how sick he was, you could appreciate how positive he remained. If you didn’t realize how sick he was, you could have appreciated how strong he was. And to know him, period, was the biggest blessing of all.

My favorite memory of dad was watching him cross the finish line in the Head for the Cure 5k in February 2017. He was in the middle of his cancer journey, but he trained and prepared to run. A huge group of friends and family stood alongside the finish line, cheering and watching dad run under the Head for the Cure Arch. I remember it vividly. Dad turned the corner and everyone starts screaming, “Go, Gregg!” His pace picked up and his fists entered the air as he ran through the finish line. This February 16, 2019 marks the one year anniversary of dad’s death and it just so happens to be the day of the Head for the Cure race. We are excited to honor dad and so many others that have fought or are fighting brain cancer.

Although passing away may seem like losing a battle, I choose to believe dad won the ultimate victory when he entered heaven. Our hearts ache every day, missing him. However, we are thankful for the time spent with such an amazing person.

Julia Clanton