C lay Jackson was where he wanted to be on the afternoon of July 4 — surrounded by family and friends, floating on Lake Jordan, thinking about the surprise engagement ring he had bought for his girlfriend, enjoying his 6-week-old daughter dressed in red, white and blue, and looking forward to watching a fireworks show that night from a boat on the lake’s placid waters.
But the life he had and the one he dreamed about ended five hours later under those waters after a boat collision that also killed a teenager. After two tortuous days of searching, their bodies were recovered.
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Clay Jackson is pictured with his 22-month-old son Rivers.
Submitted / The Herald
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This photo of Clay Jackson’s daughter, Everleigh Loryn, was taken at a family gathering at Jackson’s house on Lake Jordan on July 4.
Submitted / The Herald
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Clay Jackson is seen with his girlfriend, Macy Barnes, and their daughter Everleigh Loryn, who was born May 22. Jackson had bought an engagement ring for Macy and planned to give it to her on her birthday, July 9, but he was killed in a July 4 boat crash on Lake Jordan.
Submitted / The Herald
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