Clayton Taylor Ramsay, of Clifton Forge, Virginia, passed away peacefully on October 16, 2026.

Clay was born on December 10, 1952 in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania and attended college at Washington and Lee University chosen for Phi Beta Kappa honors while attaining a degree in Latin and Classics. He then earned his Masters degree at the University of Virginia. His career began in advertising sales which led to an entrepreneurial adventure starting the Blue Ridge Buck Saver, a Charlottesville area advertising weekly, with some sage commentary occasionally which featured Clay’s wit and wisdom. The Buck Saver was a product of the hard and long efforts of both Clay and Mary, his loving wife of 50 years. In addition to his career building The Blue Ridge Buck Saver, Clay had a lifetime love of horses that began when his parents moved the family from the suburbs of Annapolis to the rural life of New Melle, Missouri, and a 40 acre farm that provided a space for animals of all kinds, including horses. Clay learned how to ride, how to tend them, how to breed them and how to teach others of the joy of the wonderful creatures of God.

In 2020 Clay was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He spent the next six years quietly and courageously battling this cancer almost to a standstill. Amazingly, during this long battle, Clay chose to make the most of his time, and to work on something his mother had gently prodded him to do for most of his life. To write a book. Besides horses, Clay also had a lifetime love of reading, especially history and compelling fiction. He combined these two elements into a book he completed and published in 2025, Fire, Brimstone, and Blood - Rebels Rise Up in the Back Country. In this book Clay told the tale of the patriots of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina and their heroic battle for freedom. If you read it you will learn of the amazing virtue of those early Americans, their courage, their passion and their firm belief in God and Jesus Christ. It is an encouragement for present day Americans to return to these foundations if we are to preserve our nation.

Clay is survived by his wife Mary, his mother Jeanne Ramsay of Crozet, Virginia, his son Ross (Emily), grandchildren Ryan and Palmer, and brothers Kent (Anne) Ramsay of Aurora, Ohio, Bob (Kathy) of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Steve (Cindy) of Chesapeake, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his father James Howard Ramsay.

A funeral service and celebration of life will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 11:00 at Lebanon Presbyterian Church at 8312 Brooksville Road, Greenwood, Virgina, 22943. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to ConnectionsPlus - Healthcare + Hospice.

Arrangements by Anderson Funeral Service of Crozet, VA.