Clayton Dean Ijams Sr.

Clayton Dean Ijams Sr., 88, passed away on August 14, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas, surrounded by his loving family, including his children, grandchildren, and great grandchild.

He was born September 26, 1937 in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Roy Lee Ijams Sr. and Hildred Viola Fritz. Raised in Topeka, he went to Topeka High before studying chemical engineering at Kansas State University. In the early 1960s, he volunteered for the Army, serving our country in a deployment to Japan before returning to the States. Across a career of more than forty years, he worked as a civil engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy Lee and Hildred Ijams; his siblings, Roy Lee, Dorothy Roberts, and Charles Ijams; and his stepson, Alan Stephenson.

He is survived by his children, Jodi Kay Ijams of Topeka and Clayton Dean Ijams Jr. of Tulsa, OK; stepson Mark Stephenson of Topeka; his grandchildren Ashley Ijams Hymon (Jordan), Rachel Ijams, Nathaniel Ijams, and Joseph Ijams; his great grandson Zion Hymon; and several nieces and nephews.

Burial was held on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at the West Lawn Memorial Gardens at 820 SW Auburn Road, Topeka, Kansas within its Garden of Prayer.

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