Clayton "Clay" Wayne Swartout, 50, of Englewood, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 7, 2012. Born Dec. 18, 1961, he was preceded in death by his father, James Wayne Swartout; his grandparents, Clyde and Eva West Swartout and James Parnick and Ruby Isabel Stroule McClary; and a special friend, Wayne Cole. He graduated from McMinn Central High School in 1980. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro in 1984, with a bachelor's degree in agriculture and science education and earned his master's degree in general education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. While he was in high school and at MTSU, he played football. He was a vocational agriculture teacher in Asheville, N.C., from 1984 to 1986; at Polk County High School from 1986 to 1998; and at McMinn County High School from 1998 until his death. He was a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Etowah. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed his students and teaching agriculture. Survivors include his wife, Hester Breeden Swartout, who married Clay on April 6, 2012 at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Etowah; two daughters, Megan Swartout of Cleveland, and Grace Swartout of Athens; his mother, Bobbye McClary Swartout of Etowah; one sister, Leslie Jean Swartout West and her husband, Herb; his in-laws, Sam and Janette Breeden; one stepdaughter, Jessica Johnson; two aunts and one uncle, Evalyn and Frankie Massingale and their son, Jarrod, and Alice Ann Qualls; four nephews, James Austin Rowland and his fiancée, Kourtney Brock, Dale Jarrett West and Samuel and Jackson Jennings; one sister-in-law, Lorella Breeden Jennings and her husband, James; first cousins, Jim Mike Cantrell and Tracy Cantrell Lee; and special friends, Bart Johnson, the Bryan family, Tommy Ivins and Randy Coleman. Funeral services will be 8 p.m. Wednesday in the South Chapel of Bordwine Funeral Home with the Rev. Aaron Pierce officiating. A memorial service will be 6 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the McMinn Career and Technical Center, Attn. McMinn County FFA, 2103 Congress Pkwy., Athens, TN 37303; or Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 306, Etowah, TN 37331. Bordwine Funeral Home of Etowah is in charge of arrangements.