Clay Christopher Carroll

Clay Christopher Carroll, 41, of Fayetteville, WV and Boise, ID, made his last run on the Upper Gauley River and told his last wildly inappropriate joke on September 22, 2018. Clay was born July 21, 1977 in Charleston, WV, the first child of Tim and Beth Carroll. Clay was the oldest of seven siblings and, though he never truly got over not being an only child, he had a fierce love of his big family. Clay was a 1995 graduate of Winfield High School. He was a happy- go-lucky free spirit who loved big water and big snow-covered mountains. Clay never met a stranger and collected friends wherever he went. He could sleep anywhere and, if you are reading this, it’s likely he spent a night on your couch at some point. Clay was never at a loss for words and didn’t believe in letting the truth get in the way of a good story. If something broke, Clay could fix it with duct tape, ratchet straps, and an advanced system of ropes and pulleys. During a rafting trip as a teenager, Clay fell in love with the thrill and adrenaline rush of whitewater and was instantly hooked. It didn’t take long until he had mastered the river and loudly and somewhat wildly, demonstrated his proficiency with a paddle. Clay was rarely rattled when things went bad and quickly became the go to guy when other boaters ran into trouble. Always ready for a new adventure, he started looking for new challenges to test his river skill set. Creature Craft fit the ticket. These unique rafts made it possible for boaters to run rivers formerly considered to be unrunnable. Again, Clay was hooked. Within months of discovering the new rafts, Clay used his charm and skill to earn a spot on the Creature Craft Team where he began conquering rivers that other boaters only dreamed of standing next to, let alone run a boat down. Clay was a giant in the paddling community, the Mt. Everest of the Gauley River. Known as the “Whitewater Whisperer,” he turned river guiding into an art form and his friends swear that he could stick his paddle into a ripple and make a boat dance. Clay is survived by his parents, Beth and Tim Carroll of Lewisburg; Brady Johnson-Davidson; siblings, Kaity Scruggs (Brad) of Charlotte, NC, Noah (Sarah) of Hurricane, Caleb (Katie) of Midland, TX, Betsy Canterbury (Alex) of Bryan, TX, Maddee Gwinn (Timmy) of Lewisburg, Walker of Lewisburg; nephew and nieces, Aiden, Charlotte and Allegheny; a host of extended family and beloved friends; and floaters, boaters, and freeloaders everywhere. In addition to his family and friends, Clay also leaves behind a vast collection of vehicles in various states of roadworthiness, river gear strung out across multiple area codes, and an Energizer-size hole in our hearts. A celebration of Clay’s life will be held on Thursday, September 27 from 6-8pm at the Valley Park Community Center in Hurricane; his family will welcome visitors beginning at 5pm. In keeping with Clay’s wishes, family and friends are invited to spend the day on his river on Saturday, September 29 for an All- Day-Clay Fest. Since you can’t go all day if you don’t start early, meet us at 8:30am at the put-in of the Upper Gauley at the base of the Summersville Dam to send Clay down the river. The celebration will continue at the Cantrell Ultimate Rafting base camp in Fayetteville, beginning at 5pm and lasting…all day. Arrangements are being handled by Chapman Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, Clay’s family suggests calling up an old friend and meeting them for a beer or doing something you’ve always meant to do.