Billie June Poynor Clays was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 4, 1927 to Elmo & Muriel Emma Sanders Poynor. Her mother worked in several business ventures nationwide eventually settling in Louisiana near her grandmother and finishing her schooling in New Orleans.

In 1946, while a student at Tulane University she met and married Paul E. Clays whom at that time was a B-17 Air Force Bomber Pilot home on leave from WWII. Paul's career as Air Force Pilot took him all over the world and the United States for 30 years while Billie as a military wife held the home together with their 4 children. They retired and bought some of the first lots available in Live Oak Bend, Sargent. The fishing drew them to their final home on Caney Creek where the "trees almost meet the sea."

Billie was a pioneering woman and way ahead of her time. She was never idle and was a compassionate Lifetime volunteer. She led or participated in all community events on base, active in Girl Scouts leadership wherever we lived. She was a beautiful blonde ballerina & loved to dance. After selling their gift shop in SW Houston they opened Individual Treasures Gift Shop in Sargent and worked together for years. She loved to read and was active in the Literacy Volunteers in Bay City.

She was a role model in honesty & integrity for our Sargent Community serving as President of the Sargent Area Chamber of Commerce for many years. While leading the Chamber she was instrumental in too many projects to list that kept our community active in the county and her last project was the coordination with all state & federal entities ensuring completion of the Sargent Revetment Wall & facilitating the Sargent Chamber Park seeing it through to its completion…she retired from community service in 1998 for the most part.

She was an avid supporter of our Commercial Fishermen & an environmentalist protecting our East Matagorda Bay & Caney Creek water quality & a founding member of East Matagorda Bay Foundation keeping watch over our watershed and started the branch of Sargent Beach Cleanup.

Billie saw many changes throughout her lifetime and always had a listening ear & her door was always open. She was a compassionate advocate for many causes including Freedom AND freedom of Speech. She was a loyal Democrat her entire life. She was always there for all of us and we will think of her every day. She was preceded in death by Lt. Col Paul Clays and mother Muriel Klee. Survivors include children Paul Stewart Clays, Deborah June Cardinell & husband Jack, Muriel Tipps & husband Roy, Leslie Maie Clays; grandchildren Eric Dreibelbis, Autumn (Clays) Johnson, Jeremy Bravo, Sean Bravo, Allison Bravo, Michelle (Tipps) Thomas, Steven Tipps and 11 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at Taylor Bros. Funeral Home. Funeral service will be 2:00 PM Thursday, December 20, 1028 at Taylor Bros. Chapel with Rev. James Ashton officiating. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck.