Clayton Edmisten

After a long and challenging life, Clayton Edmisten, also known as "Slim", passed peacefully away on December 12th, 2008 at Hilltop Care Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He had been in declining health for several years and had resided at Hilltop since April, 2007. Clayton was born on February 5, 1923 at the Salvation Army Hospital in Omaha. His mother was Gladys Stattler and his father was Earl Edmisten., Clayton suffered severely from epilepsy from his earliest years. At that time not much was known about this disorder and as a result Clayton faced many difficulties, even as a child. When Clayton was only eight years old, Clayton then went to live with his grandfather, Alex Stattler, whom he loved dearly. In later years he recounted memories of fishing on the Missouri River and working trap lines with his grandfather and their hunting dogs. Unfortunately, only 3 years later, Alex Stattler died and Clayton was placed in St. Anthony's Orphanage in Sioux City. Deciding that orphanage life was not for him, Clayton ran away at age 11 and never looked back. Over the next several years he worked his way west, as a farm or ranch hand, as a cook, in the Merchant Marines, as a deck hand on commercial fishing boats in Alaska, as a lumber jack or any one of dozens of other jobs. In those years, his epilepsy seizures made it hard to retain a job. After the war, Clayton married his wife Ethel. They lived in Mitchell, SD and Sioux City before moving to Spirit Lake, Iowa in 1962. Clayton said that after he and Ethel saw Spirit Lake they knew that this was the place where they would spend the rest of their lives. For many years they ran a fishing resort at Angler's Bay. Anti-seizure medication provided Clayton with relief and a more normal life became possible. Since Clayton's early years did not include formal schooling, he made a point of getting his GED at the age of 49. Clayton loved people and many Angler's Bay customers became friends. When it became clear that Ethel's health was declining, Clayton sold the resort and moved into town. Eventually he could no longer care for her at home, and Ethel became a resident of Hilltop, until her death in 1993. Clayton is survived by his sister Betty Pulse of Platt, SD, many friends in Spirit Lake, including Sam Wedeking, and several cousins, including Lois Hobbs of Sloan IA, and Carol Edmisten of Seattle, WA. Thank you to the caregivers at Hilltop Care Center, as well as the Hospice team.