Remembering Clay: Messages from Family and Friends

My sincerest condolences to Mary and the family for the loss of Clay. He was a great friend to me. Clay and I have been friends for over 50 years. I was a Sig Ep pledge and Clay was the terror of all of us. I remember this well. I remember the trip to Alaska to King Salmon and wonderful time that we had there. I last talked to Clay in April when he called me and indicated his condition and said we needed to get together this summer. He said some things that now have more meaning. He was a person with a huge heart and vision. Be at peace my friend!

~ Terry Keiser

I was blessed and honored over the last year or so to have met Clay Mathile. It was wonderful to hear him speak about his family and their efforts to do good. On behalf of the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to the family.

~ Commissioner Greg Gonzales

I first became aware of the Mathile family through my predecessor at Choice One, Tony Schroeder. As Tony was mentoring me over the years, he would often mention how Clay made him realize how important this time Tony was taking on me was, or how Clay made him think of a situation differently. I had never had someone in my life respect another human being more than Tony respected Clay, and seeing that relationship second hand made me realize how important those connections are in life. Though my interactions with Clay were only in passing at Aileron, Clay (through Tony) changed my life, my families life, and the families of every person who has ever worked at Choice One. I will forever be grateful for the mentorship and guidance Clay offered Tony that shaped the way Tony groomed me into the business leader, father, husband, and person I am today. I want to thank MaryAnn and the rest of the Mathile family for sharing Clay with us all, but for also supporting Clay in your own ways to allow him to have the impact that he did. Without you all, he couldn't have done what he did, and therefore it isn't just Clay I am grateful for, but the entire family. I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to you all, and offer my prayers for your comfort in the times of sorrow and for joy of the memories.

~ Matt Hoying

One of the most special things about Clay and Mary is how they make others feel so loved and cared for, even if they've only known you a short while. The genuine care they have had for me throughout my time at the Foundation has been unlike anything I've experienced at any other workplace. Clay would always ask how my family was doing, remembering them all by name. I admire Clay and Mary both for their accomplishments and who they are as people. The love they have for each other and their family is something you can just feel when you are around them and I strive to have that impact on others as well. I can remember being at their house for an event and my daughter Lainey was only a few months old at the time. He offered to hold her so my husband and I could eat our dinner, knowing that new parents don't often get to eat uninterrupted. It's how I'll always remember him.

~ Emily Hughes

My hope is that Clay's eternal view now gives him an idea of the incredible impact of his life. He made his Lord and Savior very proud. I am just one of many CEO/Owners that was so Blessed to have had Clay take his time to guide and mentor. He allowed his life lessons to be taught to enable our lives and companies to gain from them. He took the time to get to know my situation and then challenged me to take it and run. It is difficult to express how much I appreciated our one-on-one time. It would be easy to think that one is not worthy of this incredibly successful person's time. He made you feel he was honored to talk to you. His impact is so much more than maybe even he could guess because of the successes his mentoring created. Clay - Thank you So Very Much! To his Family - Our Prayers are with you and thank you for sharing him with us.

~ Ronald D. Shroder

The first time I met Mr. Mathile was twenty years ago as he breaking ground on his dream, Aileron, in Bethel Township. Up to that point, I had worked with members of his hand picked team, which were top notch professionals, just like Mr. Mathile.

The man who encouraged everyone to "dream no small dreams" was fulfilling his own by creating a place where people can come and learn how to take their entrepreneurial dreams to the next level by creating an business that would last for generations.

Mr. Mathile was a man who at his core served others and his kindness and graciousness was well known. His pursuit of philanthropy was well known.

Thank you Mr. Mathile for your contributions to our community. We are better people for the work you have done building us up. Rest in peace.

~ WIlliam Lutz

To the Mathile Family,

Please accept my heartfelt condolences for the passing of Clay. He was a remarkable leader and a generous mentor to many in the Dayton area and beyond. His vision and dedication to supporting small businesses and developing professional management skills have made a lasting difference in my life and career. I owe much of my success and growth to his guidance and encouragement through Aileron and other initiatives. He always challenged me to set higher goals and pursue excellence in everything I do. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met him and learned from him. His legacy will live on through the countless lives he has touched and transformed. He was a true asset to the Dayton community and I appreciate all that you have done to continue his work.

Thank you for sharing him with us and please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. He will be greatly missed.

~ Christopher T. Meyer

The Glen staff will always appreciate Clay’s thought-provoking questions, his challenge to us to always improve our processes, his interest in our Residents’ educational plans, his love for his wife, Mary, and his entire family. Rest in peace.

~ Elaine Lantz

I was fortunate to experience Clay’s leadership and vision of a corporate culture that focused on providing “best of class” customer service, supporting people (employees, distributors, retailers, and community organizations) and developing superior products. His legacy is a model that serves every entrepreneur, current and future, to achieve their goals. My prayers and thoughts are with the Mathile family during this difficult time.

~ Jack Tootson

Wright Dunbar would not be what it is today without the guidance and support of Clay. His involvement and direction in the very early stages set us on the right path for success. He guided us through our strategic plan formation and provided the resource to implement it. We are very grateful to Mary and Clay for seeing what could be accomplished in Wright Dunbar when many others couldn't. They care about the community and those that live here.

~ Harry

Never did Clay seek anything for himself; his sole desire was for us all to contribute towards the betterment of the Dayton region. His passion for enhancing the community he held dear drove him, and he fervently hoped that we would all unite in pursuit of this aspiration.

~ Jon Husted, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with and learning from a few world class executives. None were a match for Clay Mathile. He clearly was the best combination of integrity, intellect, leading-by-example, compassion, and competitive drive. On top of all that, Mary and he raised a wonderful family. I’ll miss him and his everyday wisdom.

~ Tom MacLeod

Clay has been an inspiration in my life. Whether it was business, family, or faith, Clay inspired me to be the next best version of myself.

Clay first inspired the entrepreneurial part of my life. He and Aileron helped me establish the dream of Choice One Engineering: To provide fulfilling lives for a lifetime. The guidance Clay and Aileron provided me and, by extension Choice One, helps us be a well-run, Professional Managed company. While I could go on and on about the way Clay and Aileron have shaped Choice One, I will summarize by saying that Clay’s legacy lives on at Choice One, as Choice One is providing so many people, families, and communities fulfilling lives. But this this is just a small part of his impact on me and the world.

Clay was so supportive at Aileron—he always said “yes.” We would ask him to come and sit in our Peer Groups and he would say “yes, get with Jane and put it on my calendar and I will be there.” He would see me in the hall and say, “we need to have another meeting between us.” I never asked him for that meeting because I felt scared that I wasn’t important enough for him. How can someone care so much? He may be known for his fortune, but the fortune was small compared to his heart.

Indeed, when I decided to step down from President at Choice One, Clay was there for me as a mentor, spending several afternoons sitting in the Dream Room or on walks helping me determine what was next for me. In my mind, here was a successful, well-known billionaire just spending countless hours asking little ol’ me compelling questions and making me think in different ways. He even arranged meetings with well-known members of his circle for me to explore potential opportunities. With Clay’s help, however, it was then that I decided to continue to be a contributor at Aileron.

Clay and Mary took a special interest in my daughter Cara. She was a Mathile Scholar at Ohio Northern University—another place he has been most generous. Clay, Mary, and Cara hit it off and became fast friends. I would apologize for bragging Cara up, and Clay would say, “that’s ok, I agree.” Then Clay would brag about her to me, saying she is the most inspiring person he had met. Cara loved Clay and Mary and cherished the time the Mathiles spent with her and her family.

Both Clay and I have strong Catholic beliefs and were raised in rural, northwest Ohio cultures, which opened the opportunity to get very spiritual in our discussions. He would tell me that God has given us so many gifts and it is our responsibility to use them the way that God would want us to. He told me “you can’t out-give God.” I would smile and say, “you might be able to say that,” thinking about how he is a billionaire. He looked me in the eyes and said, “you are super blessed and don’t you forget that.” Clay was right. I have been so very blessed, and Clay is one of the blessings I have had the privilege to have in my life.

I will miss Clay’s smile in the hallways of Aileron, but I know his spirit is alive in businesses like Choice One and the people he spent time with, like little ol’ me. It has been a “super blessing” to have Clay in my life. Thank you, Clay, for always loving me. I have and always will love you, my great friend and mentor, Clay Mathile.

~ Tony​ Schroeder

There are so many of us who appreciate Clay’s advice and support over the years. He had a wonderful way of supporting new projects early on which gave them credibility in the community’s eyes. And always he taught the organizations to learn to stand on their own and keep working. I can attest to that with the early support he and the family gave to Carillon Historical Park when I became the first on-site Executive Director there is the early 1980’s. The confidence of the Mathile family was so important in rallying the community to support the early growth and development of the Park. The lesson he taught us to continue to cultivate donors and not depend on any one donor was an important gift. I told him that long ago but would like for the family to know again how much that early support and continued good will meant as we tried to do exactly what he advised. I also had the privilege of serving on the UD Board and observed his same leadership style there.

Clay did the same for Wright Dunbar, Inc. and his tough love and support made all of the difference. We will continue to keep the Foundation updated on the remarkable progress we are seeing there today.

Please be sure that Mary and the family receive this message. We will forever remember how important and long lasting Clay’s advice and support were and also be forever grateful for his leadership.

~ Mary Mathews

The thoughts and prayers of the New Hope community are going out to you today as you mourn the loss of an incredibly loving and exceedingly generous visionary. We are so moved by the work that Clay and the Mathile family have done in the Miami Valley and, in particular, in east Dayton and pray for peace and comfort in this time of loss. We are grateful to all of you and mourn with you today.

~ Jeff Cartwright

I am truly heartbroken to hear of Clay's passing, and know in my heart and core he will always be in the halls of Aileron.

~ Jenni Lough Watson

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mathile family. Clay’s legacy will live on forever.

~ Susie and Lenny Pronesti

Please accept my deepest sympathy. Decades ago, he was a member of my Business Roundtables. IAMS was a story of innovation that disrupted the pet food industry. And, of course, Aileron, a crown jewel of entrepreneurial support.

~ Antonette Lucente

My condolences to the Family. I'm a Former Distributor of Iams/Eukanuba I have Fond Memoires of Clay and his wife.

~ Dieter Koch, Austria

I was fortunate enough to become a part of the Aileron community about 14 years ago. I remember hearing about Clay's story of Iams and how Aileron came to be, and I remember being so inspired. I also remember getting to meet Clay and how personable he was. I could see in his eyes that he really cared about who I am. I felt seen. I only wish I had more of those opportunities because they were special. I am thankful for the legacy Clay left in so many ways. Fast forward all of those years, and now I get to be a contributor with Aileron and get to see his dream get put into action on a daily basis. I promise to work alongside my amazing Aileron teammates to help his legacy continue on.

I am sending so much love and prayers to the Mathile family, and all of those who were a part of his life. You will certainly be missed Clay. Thank you for making a difference in this world.

~ Wendy Roop