Our History
Clayton-Thompson Funeral Home was founded in 1920 by Mr. N. B. Hampton as THE HAMPTON CO. It was a furniture store and funeral home at 2105 Proctor, in what was then a thriving downtown area. It was purchased by Paul B. Clayton and Thorlief Thompson in 1930 and became a very successful funeral home during the war years. During this period Port Arthur was considered "boom town" due to the shipyards and oil industry.
In 1948 the death of Paul B. Clayton made Thorlief Thompson the sole owner. The funeral home continued to thrive under Mr. Thompson's leadership. In 1954 Thorlief Thompson died at a young age and his wife continued to run the business until 1965 when it was purchased by Charles Hanson, a native Port Arthuran. Mr. Hanson had worked at Clayton-Thompson since 1954 as a young ambulance attendant.
In 1976, for the 50th anniversary, Clayton Thompson built a large new facility adjacent to Port Arthur's only cemetery. A new entrance was built by the cemetery at this time especially for Clayton-Thompson, which is directly across from the funeral home parking lot.
In Fall of 2024, Clayton-Thompson Funeral Home became a part of the Claybar Network of Funeral Homes. We are committed to continuing to serve the Southeast Texas Community proudly.

Within the last 3 years, we have proudly welcomed the following firms into the Claybar Family of Companies.
• Faith and Family Funeral Services – Batson, Texas
• Melancon Funeral Home – Nederland, Texas
• Levingston Funeral Homes – Groves and Port Neches, Texas
• Oak Bluff Memorial Park – Port Neches
• Memory Gardens of Jefferson County – Nederland, Texas
• Clayton Thompson Funeral Home - Groves, Texas

Today, Claybar Family Companies included 8 funeral homes, 5 perpetual care cemeteries, a memorial division, a crematory and a full-service flower shop.
Most recently, we have created new websites throughout the Claybar Companies providing a myriad of new services, information, and social networking options.
What's next? ...
- You can be certain it will innovate service to a new level.
- It will be a source of pride for our company, the families we serve and our communities.
- It will make a difference!
We'll keep you posted.

- Warren Claybar