Clayton H. Singleton

Clayton H. Singleton, 84, of Moorhead, MN, died Tuesday, May 29, 2007 in Eventide Lutheran Home, Moorhead, MN.Clayton was born February 15, 1923 in Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada, son of Harry Singleton and Edith Andrews, immigrant farmers from England. The only son, with three sisters, he learned the meaning of hard work while working a large farm from an early age. He enjoyed hunting and trapping as a youth as well, and played the piano, guitar, and violin at local dances. Clayton was also a gifted mechanic who built and played with small engines as a child, worked steam thrashers, and later settled on auto mechanics as a formal occupation. He owned a small garage in Plumas, Manitoba with his cousin for several years, and met his future wife Florence Madill in the boarding house where they both stayed, spending evenings playing cards, visiting and listening to the radio. They traveled to the U.S. in 1952, married and set up house in Moorhead. Originally heading for California, they decided to settle closer to their relatives in Canada. Clayton soon found work as a mechanic at a large auto dealership in Fargo where he worked for many years. Deciding that it was affecting his health, he eventually quit the garage business and worked in various sales jobs to support his family, earning many top sales awards. But traveling out on the road for sales meant too much time away from home and family. He decided to return to his mechanical roots and took a job as a maintenance engineer at the Town House Motel in downtown Fargo where he worked till he retired in 1985. Not one to stay idle, he soon set out fixing and refurbishing appliances for resale to supplement his income. He had a gregarious outgoing spirit and enjoyed meeting new people throughout his journey in life. The only time he truly relaxed was at his cabin on Turtle Lake, where he enjoyed hundreds of days of sunshine, cooling off in the water, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. He was above all hardworking, a good provider, a loving father, a good husband, and lifelong friend of many. We will all miss you Clayton, we loved you very, very, much.He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Florence Singleton of Moorhead, MN; three sons, Calvin Cathy Singleton of Moorhead, MN, Arnold Singleton of St. Paul, MN and Rodney Singleton of Moorhead, MN; one daughter, Sandra Douglas Marquart, of Apple Valley, MN; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.He was preceded in death by his parents and three sisters, Eva Myles, Isabelle Madill and Leween Drysdale.