1928
Claire
2023
Claire J. Crockford (Boeckh)
May 7, 1928 — January 2, 2023
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 12 noon in Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Rd, Fitchburg. Calling Hours are Thursday from 11am – 12 pm. Burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery, Fitchburg.
In lieu of flowers, friends and families are requested with thanks, to donate to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Philanthropy & the Jimmy Fund at P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-1968 or the Joslin Diabetes, One Joslin Place, Boston MA 02215, josalin.org Institute in memory of Claire J. Crockford.
Claire J. Crockford, age 94, of Fitchburg was born in Springfield on May 7, 1928, and died on January 2, 2023. She was the daughter of Cornelia A. Boeckh (Smith) and Victor H. Boeckh Sr. She passed at the High Pointe Hospice House in Haverhill, after having a wonderful Christmas weekend with her two daughter’s families.
As written by Tom Brokaw in The Greatest Generation: “When the United States entered World War II, the U.S. government turned to ordinary Americans and asked of them extraordinary service, sacrifice, and heroics. Many Americans met those high expectations, and then returned home to lead ordinary lives”.
Claire was a woman of the Greatest Generation, a teenager in World War II and later married her husband George Crockford Jr., a WW II tail gunner. They were typical people of their generation, hard-working, honest, and patriotic.
Claire’s family grew up in Fitchburg near the end of the large mill era which catapulted the US into post war prosperity. Claire graduated with the class of 1946 from Fitchburg High School. She lived in Fitchburg her entire life and was beloved by everyone who knew her.
Claire was a member of Christ Episcopal Church and belonged to several organizations there, The Couples Club, Evening Guild , Assistant Leader of the Girl’s Ministering Children’s League, a member of the choir, she taught Sunday School and was Choir Mother, when Jane and Joyce were members of the Jr. Choir.
She worked at Fitchburg State College as a Junior Clerk and Secretary to the Registrar. Claire was a member of Dillion and Edgerly School PTA. She was a Boy Scout and Girl Scout Leader. A member of FHS Alumni Association and was on all 1946 Class Reunion Committees. Claire was also a book keeper for Ethier’s Locksmith for many years.
In the eighties and nineties, she was also known by her grandchildren as Mrs. Claus at Christmas, the Easter Bunny at Easter, and the Grande Chef at Thanksgiving. Claire never missed an opportunity to celebrate with family. She travelled to London, England in 1981 to celebrate the birth of her first granddaughter and in 1992 to Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria for Christmas. She is beloved by her two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren, the fourth born eleven days before her death. She was of small stature and a ball of energy. Claire delivered fresh donuts on winter Sundays in her father’s horse drawn sleigh in the winters of the early forties in Fitchburg with her sister Militia and friends.
Claire was an old fashioned wife and mother in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and was a home maker for George and their three children Jane, Joyce, and Jeffrey. Sadly, the family lost Jeffery when he was 11 to leukemia and then Claire continued to be a caregiver for her husband, her mother, and her partner later in life, Dave Andersen of Fitchburg.
George and Claire had been married for 52 years in 2001 when he died. A few years later, she became reacquainted with Dave Andersen, who she knew in high school and was then a widower. They had 16 years together after their families were grown and spent many of their winters in Naples, Florida, then the balance of the year in Fitchburg.
Claire leaves her beloved daughters, Jane Sciola and her husband, Tony of Andover, and Joyce Smith and her husband, George, of Falmouth. In addition, she leaves grand-daughters, Sonya Pickel and her husband, Steve, of Annapolis, Maryland and Katherine Cameron and her husband, Dr. Scott Cameron, of Wellesley and her four great grandchildren, Bennett and Chloe Cameron of Wellesley and Madeline and Lilya Pickel of Annapolis. She was predeceased by her husband, Goerge Crockford, Jr. in 2001 and her son, Jeffrey Crockford in 1967.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 12 noon in Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Rd, Fitchburg. Calling Hours are Thursday from 11am – 12 pm. Burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery, Fitchburg.
In lieu of flowers, friends and families are requested with thanks, to donate to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Philanthropy & the Jimmy Fund at P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-1968 or the Joslin Diabetes, One Joslin Place, Boston MA 02215, josalin.org Institute in memory of Claire J. Crockford.
In lieu of flowers, friends and families are requested with thanks, to donate to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Philanthropy & the Jimmy Fund at P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-1968 or the Joslin Diabetes, One Joslin Place, Boston MA 02215, josalin.org Institute in memory of Claire J. Crockford.
Claire J. Crockford, age 94, of Fitchburg was born in Springfield on May 7, 1928, and died on January 2, 2023. She was the daughter of Cornelia A. Boeckh (Smith) and Victor H. Boeckh Sr. She passed at the High Pointe Hospice House in Haverhill, after having a wonderful Christmas weekend with her two daughter’s families.
As written by Tom Brokaw in The Greatest Generation: “When the United States entered World War II, the U.S. government turned to ordinary Americans and asked of them extraordinary service, sacrifice, and heroics. Many Americans met those high expectations, and then returned home to lead ordinary lives”.
Claire was a woman of the Greatest Generation, a teenager in World War II and later married her husband George Crockford Jr., a WW II tail gunner. They were typical people of their generation, hard-working, honest, and patriotic.
Claire’s family grew up in Fitchburg near the end of the large mill era which catapulted the US into post war prosperity. Claire graduated with the class of 1946 from Fitchburg High School. She lived in Fitchburg her entire life and was beloved by everyone who knew her.
Claire was a member of Christ Episcopal Church and belonged to several organizations there, The Couples Club, Evening Guild , Assistant Leader of the Girl’s Ministering Children’s League, a member of the choir, she taught Sunday School and was Choir Mother, when Jane and Joyce were members of the Jr. Choir.
She worked at Fitchburg State College as a Junior Clerk and Secretary to the Registrar. Claire was a member of Dillion and Edgerly School PTA. She was a Boy Scout and Girl Scout Leader. A member of FHS Alumni Association and was on all 1946 Class Reunion Committees. Claire was also a book keeper for Ethier’s Locksmith for many years.
In the eighties and nineties, she was also known by her grandchildren as Mrs. Claus at Christmas, the Easter Bunny at Easter, and the Grande Chef at Thanksgiving. Claire never missed an opportunity to celebrate with family. She travelled to London, England in 1981 to celebrate the birth of her first granddaughter and in 1992 to Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria for Christmas. She is beloved by her two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren, the fourth born eleven days before her death. She was of small stature and a ball of energy. Claire delivered fresh donuts on winter Sundays in her father’s horse drawn sleigh in the winters of the early forties in Fitchburg with her sister Militia and friends.
Claire was an old fashioned wife and mother in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and was a home maker for George and their three children Jane, Joyce, and Jeffrey. Sadly, the family lost Jeffery when he was 11 to leukemia and then Claire continued to be a caregiver for her husband, her mother, and her partner later in life, Dave Andersen of Fitchburg.
George and Claire had been married for 52 years in 2001 when he died. A few years later, she became reacquainted with Dave Andersen, who she knew in high school and was then a widower. They had 16 years together after their families were grown and spent many of their winters in Naples, Florida, then the balance of the year in Fitchburg.
Claire leaves her beloved daughters, Jane Sciola and her husband, Tony of Andover, and Joyce Smith and her husband, George, of Falmouth. In addition, she leaves grand-daughters, Sonya Pickel and her husband, Steve, of Annapolis, Maryland and Katherine Cameron and her husband, Dr. Scott Cameron, of Wellesley and her four great grandchildren, Bennett and Chloe Cameron of Wellesley and Madeline and Lilya Pickel of Annapolis. She was predeceased by her husband, Goerge Crockford, Jr. in 2001 and her son, Jeffrey Crockford in 1967.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 12 noon in Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Rd, Fitchburg. Calling Hours are Thursday from 11am – 12 pm. Burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery, Fitchburg.
In lieu of flowers, friends and families are requested with thanks, to donate to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Philanthropy & the Jimmy Fund at P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-1968 or the Joslin Diabetes, One Joslin Place, Boston MA 02215, josalin.org Institute in memory of Claire J. Crockford.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Claire J. Crockford (Boeckh), please visit our flower store.
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