Dr. Judith Clay Walker

A native of Ardmore, Oklahoma, Dr. Judith A. Clay graduated from Christian College, Columbia, Missouri, and received her Doctor of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry, Memphis, Tennessee. She had active board certified optometric licenses in Oklahoma and Florida. The Florida Optometric Association awarded Dr. Clay the President’s Appreciation Award, the Prevent Blindness Visionary Award in 1998, and was “Optometrist of the Year 2002”. Dr. Clay, fourth generation in her optometric family, had also served various committees in the American Academy of Optometry including 15 years on the Ellerbrock Memorial Continuing Education committee that she chaired from 1995-97. She received the Outstanding Service Award for the AAO in 1997 and the Eminent Service Award in 1998. She had been active in community activities serving on the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Commission for 8 years, Springtime Tallahassee for 25 years, Tallahassee Junior Woman’s Club for 15 years, Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Sciences for 22 years, and an active member of East Hill Baptist Church since 1976. Honeysuckle Garden Circle, her garden club, recently dedicated a bench placed at Goodwood Plantation “in honor of Dr. Clay for her service to the children of Tallahassee.” Dr. Clay was appointed in 1999 and re-appointed in 2001 to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness by Governor Jeb Bush. Her primary focus was to bring children visually ready for school performance. She served on the Florida Optometric Association Charities Board, a member of the FOA Continuing Education Committee and the Academy liaison to the FOA. Specializing in pediatric optometry, she was active in the American Optometric Association, Florida Optometric Association, NWFOA, American Academy of Optometry, Association of Children with Learning Disabilities and the Orton Dyslexia Association. She served as visual consultant for the North Florida and Southern Georgia private and public schools. Since 1998, she represented the FOA on the DOE/DOH Florida School Health Consortium. Dr. Clay was President-Elect of the American Optometric Foundation. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Garland Willis Clay and Dorys Elizabeth Smith Clay; her husband, Dr. Ed Walker. Survivors include her brother, Dr. Garland Willis Clay and his wife Laura; niece, Dr. Sarah Veazey and her husband John; great-niece, Laura Elizabeth “Ellie” Veazey all of Ardmore, Oklahoma; aunt and uncle, Gerald and Helen Smith; numerous cousins. The family will receive friends Friday, October 7, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at East Hill Baptist Church. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, 2:00 p.m. at East Hill Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Big Bend Hospice or the American Optometric Foundation, 2909 Fairgreen St. Orlando, FL 32803. Susie Mozolic of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements. (www.bevisfh.com 850-385-2193)

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Dr. Judith Clay Walker

September 22, 1946 - October 4, 2016