HAMPTON — With great sorrow, and yet thanksgiving for the years he was ours, the family of Stephen Harold Cleaton announces his passing.
A lifelong Hampton resident and member of Peninsula Catholic High School’s 2000 graduating class, Stephen, age 40, was employed at the time of his death by Commonwealth Reclamation Demolition & Construction. He previously had served as a technician for several companies specializing in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Among his most cherished pastimes were hunting, fishing, and enjoying the great outdoors. Bedford, Va., with its scenic mountains and countryside, was among his favorite destinations.
Stephen leaves behind his mother, Karen Zuskin Norris, and her husband, Buddy, of Hampton; his father, Walter H. Cleaton, Jr., of Amelia County, Va.; and his brother, Michael Cleaton, of Hampton. Additional survivors include maternal grandmother Lois Maxine Zuskin of Hampton; paternal grandmother Margaret Cleaton of Amelia; uncles Tony Zuskin and wife Michelle, Leonard Cleaton and wife Jackie; aunts Teresa Cleaton Busic and husband Marvin, Rhonda Cleaton Wells, and a beloved “adopted” aunt, Donna Jebson, and husband Jacob Licone; and nieces Christianna and Makayla Cleaton.
A Memorial Service, to be followed by a visitation with the family, will be conducted by Deacon Eric Palm at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, at Weymouth Funeral Home, 12746 Nettles Drive in Newport News. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations take the form of contributions in Stephen’s memory to the nonprofit search and rescue team W.A.T.E.R. (We Are The Emergency Response Team) through the organization’s website at www.waterteaminc.com.
Though his passing was sudden and unexpected, Stephen is finally free from all pain, suffering, and the cares of this life. For that, and for the love and compassion that has been extended to us by countless friends and others we came to know only recently, we are forever grateful. They will always be our “family of the heart.”
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5