Clay M. Drexler - Obituary written by David Hickman

CDR Clay M. Drexler, USCGR (Ret)
11 August 1940 - 14 September 2014

Clay Drexler passed away 14 September 2014, after a long illness, at his home in Pompano Beach, Florida. He will be greatly missed by many.

A US Coast Guard Commander, he was constantly assisting others. Clay believed in service to his country, service to his community and service to those in need of a guiding hand. He served his country in Vietnam, and made a career of military service. He was stationed at CGRU Miami IV during the 1970s, and later retired to operate a yacht electrical repair business in Miami, Florida.

Clay was a beloved member of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club where you could find him most days, chatting up the young and more salty sailors with tales of the sea, tales of the Coast Guard, and his life stories. Clay was that so rare person whom one could always depend upon.

He spent his childhood at the Drexler family home in Bethany Beach, Delaware, and in Washington DC, finally settling in Miami Florida. At an early age Clay was drawn to service on the sea. Clay remained active with the survivors group of the USS Drexler a ship named after his naval hero uncle and recipient of the Navy Cross and Medal of Honor.

A bachelor all his life, Clay never married and never had children but he was a loving parent figure to many young men and women both in the Coast Guard and in his personal life. Many of us would not be the men or women that we are today if not for Clay. Clay believed that all should be able to serve in the US military, and he actively supported American Veterans For Equal Rights.

Clay's home was a tribute to all things Coast Guard, lighthouses, and naval history. If you were interested in the sea you'd find kinship with Clay. His knowledge of all things nautical was rare. In the 1980s he lost his dear mother. He used to relate a story of taking her for a ride in his motorcycle sidecar, with her laughing as her wig blew off in the Miami breeze. This was the way Clay lived his life full of joy, laughs and love for others. He enjoyed taking his boat Phaedra for a sail to Boca Chita Key and soaking up the Florida sun.

There is a lesson in Clay's life--that of unselfish concern for others and dedication. We will always remember Clay when we see the sweeping flash of a lighthouse, or a solitary white sail on the horizon.

Good bye Captain Clay, we will miss you always. Thanks for being our friend. Clay's ashes will be scattered at sea in early November. Semper Paratus - Always Prepared.

Published in the Miami Herald on Oct. 18, 2014

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