Corliss Louise Clay passed away on August 7, 2018 at Kadlec Hospital in Richland, WA. She was born on April 6, 1935 in North Platte, Nebraska, the only child of Louis Charles Frederick and Marcia Pauline (Marlenee) Kruse. She moved to Omaha with her parents at a young age and started school at Rose Hill Elementary followed by Omaha Benson High School where she graduated in 1952 as salutatorian. She enrolled at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and graduated in 1956 with a degree in Business Administration. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority. She did actuarial work for Haight, Davis and Haight in Omaha for two years followed by a semester of graduate work at Washington University of St. Louis. She met her future husband, Lawrence Clay in freshman English at the University of Nebraska in 1953. They were married December 17, 1958 in St. Louis, MO while she was in graduate school. They lived in Pasadena, TX and Deer Park, TX from 1959 to 1965. She worked for Great Southern Insurance Company then began volunteer work with a tiny Deer Park Public Library. By the time she and Lawrence moved to Nebraska she had developed the library and was instrumental in getting a new library approved. She was presented with the Deer Park Citizen of the Year Award. While living in Beatrice, NE from 1965 to 1983, Corliss was involved in many volunteer activities such as the library, church, homemakers, bridge club, helping form a Cub Scout Pack and being Pack treasurer. She also helped organize a T-ball softball league for 8-year old girls. She received an Ak-Sar-Ben Award for Volunteer work. Corliss started playing the organ at an early age and became organist for her church in Omaha in the 8th grade. Throughout most of her life she was the back-up organist at every church she belonged to and was a substitute at many other local churches. While in Nebraska Corliss taught piano and organ lessons for beginning students. After moving to Kennewick, WA she helped establish a pre-school at Ascension Lutheran Church and continued her support as it moved to Lord of Life Lutheran Church. Corliss was an active member of the Homemakers Club and helped organize trips to national tournaments for a 16-18 girls slow pitch softball team. She also was active in the Tri-Cities Genealogical Society and edited the Tri-City Stamp Club newsletter for over 20 years. She worked for the Kennewick Public Library in 1987-1988. Lawrence started a stamp and cover business in 1987 and Corliss was an integral part of this business until 2005 doing most of the record keeping and traveling to stamp shows with Lawrence. Corliss and Lawrence have two children: Christa Lynn Clay, living with her parents as her mother's care giver, and Michael Edward Clay, a paramedic with the Mesa, AZ Fire Department. She also is survived by Brother-in-law Richard (Judy) Clay of Horton, KS: sisters-in-law Dawn Johnson of Merna, NE; Jean (Dillard) Anderson of North Platte, NE and Elizabeth Baker of Kenosha, WI, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law. She was a member of Lord of Life Lutheran Church. Memorial service will be at 3 P.M., August 16, 2018 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 640 North Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick. Memorial donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Lord of Life Preschool or Lutheran Community Services Northwest.