Coupeville remembers Bob Clay, longtime civic leader and community advocate

Bob Clay was the kind of Coupeville figure people saw in the places that make a small town run: at Coupeville Town Council meetings, around Island Transit business and in the stands at Wolves games with popcorn in hand. He died peacefully on June 9, 2026, at 85, leaving behind a civic footprint that stretched across nearly three decades on Whidbey Island.

Clay moved to Coupeville in 1998 with his wife, Marilyn Sherman, after a career in the heavy equipment industry. Born in Portland, Oregon, on December 27, 1940, he graduated from Cleveland High School, earned a degree from Portland State University and served in the U.S. Air Force. Before Marilyn Sherman, he married Patria Cameron in 1962 and raised two children. He was preceded in death by his son, Cameron Robert Clay, in 2025.

In Coupeville, Clay did more than take up residence. He served on the Coupeville Town Council, was active in the Coupeville Lions Club and supported the Boys & Girls Club. Local memorial coverage described him as one of the good guys of Coupeville, a man whose steady leadership, humor and generosity shaped the way neighbors remembered him. He brought the same energy to public service that he had shown as an athlete and businessman, and that mix made him a familiar and trusted face in town.

His role on Island Transit gave that service a more formal edge. Island Transit is governed by a seven-member board, and one seat is reserved for an elected official from the Town of Coupeville. In 2015, after Clay stepped off the board, the Coupeville Town Council appointed Jackie Henderson in a 3-2 vote to replace him. That small but specific handoff underscored how central Clay had been to the town’s representation in regional transit decisions.

The details of his life also point to why his absence will be felt in everyday Coupeville life. He showed up where residents gathered, from Town Council meetings held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month to Coupeville athletics, where he was remembered as one of the Wolves’ most ardent supporters. He often spent games at Mickey Clark Field with popcorn, a simple habit that made him part of the scene, not just part of the record.

A commemoration of Clay’s life was planned for September 2026. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that memorial donations be made to the Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County, 8223 Broadway, Suite 100, Everett, WA 98203, with “Coupeville” on the memo line.