Oh my goodness! I am so very saddened to hear this! Claire seemed like such a kind person, and I always read her posts. My condolences to you as well, Jane, as you lost a friend. Thank you for letting us know. Such sad, sad news....

Dee

What shocking news! It really never occurred to me that something serious could be wrong. I kept expecting to see her posting again soon with an explanation of what got in the way. Claire was always kind and accepting and inclusive, and that is how I will remember her. And how much she really loved her garden and the wildlife and the ocean near her. She always sounded so excited about every day she spent there taking care of her little corner of the world.

I always enjoyed thoughtfulness and kindness in Claire’s postings, whether it was about the ordinary garden dwellers like the ants, chipmunks, and groundhog or the more exciting visitors like the hawks, turkeys, or the seals and ducks on the rocks down below. And those views of the sun on the water through the trees was always stunning. I will miss her presence here on GW.

I am so sorry to hear this sad news. Claire has been a thoughtful and knowledgeable member of the Gardenweb New England forum going back at least 20 years. Thanks so much for letting us know Jane.

I see that Claire had been posting videos to YouTube and this is one of my favorites....

Bay View with Spinner from March 2020

She was a kind and stimulating gardener. We will miss her.

I knew Jane would come through for us.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this.

Jane, my mom sent me your message. Claire was my Aunt. it was so nice to read. i have just recently seen her videos and pictures. I am glad she made such a difference for you.

Susanne, if you want to get in touch with Jane, you can click on her screen name, when it directs you to her member page, there is a message button that if you click on it, you can send her a private message. Jane doesn't always check back on threads.

I'm very sorry for your loss. She is already missed here on the forum. It doesn't seem right for her not to be here.

I knew she had not been posting, but certainly could not begin to think she had passed. She will be missed with every bird and ”show us” thread, for sure. I am awed at what I learned from her on this forum. She found beauty in the smallest and largest of nature around her, not just the mad-made copy of nature. She opened my eyes to welcoming, watching, and celebrating wildlife. There are not many around like her. Very sad that I will not get to read or enjoy her posts on this side any more.

I have to echo Deanna's words - she put it so eloquently. I've been thinking of Claire since Jane told us the news the other day, and thinking how much she'll be missed. My sincere condolences to you Susanne, and your family. I hope you can take some solace in knowing how many people Claire touched, even those of us who never even met her, but who welcomed and valued her presence in our daily lives.

Dee

I'm so sorry to hear this. Claire's posts and comments have taught me much through the years. I always appreciated her attention to small moments and her beautiful photographs of the water, gardens, and wildlife.

I want to add that there are plants in my garden that are there because of Claire. She posted photos of her gardens and carefully labeled everything by name as well as discussing some of their qualities and needs. I have a Blue Billow hydrangea (not really a major success here, but I wanted to push zones), and my favorite rose is Zepherine Drouhin, another far more successful inspiration from Claire. I might have to add big red bows to the garden this winter. And this week I found myself referring to a plant protection zone, something I later realized came from Claire’s efforts to save her Phlox from marauding groundhogs with her Phlox protection zone.

I was also thinking of her red bows in her garden for Christmas time and all the spinners that she seemed to like a lot. I love spinners too but I don't have a one and I'm going to have to get one. And I was thinking there are so many photos of her garden here and plants that I've liked of hers that I just meant to add and haven't gotten around to it. Like Dicentra 'Gold Heart' I'd like to order some daffodil bulbs that she had in her garden. I really liked her 'Lemon Glow' and 'Toby the First'. She had that paired with Scilla 'Spring Beauty' which I already have. I saw turkeys in our neighborhood the other day which is not common and I thought of her. She was so welcoming to them and no one in this neighborhood wants to invite them in. [g]

Good reminder about the spinners. I got two last season inspired by Claire and one other GW friend.

She did post photos of them, but when I was looking at one of her YouTube videos, she had recorded on a really windy day and that spinner was going so fast...lol. And the light was hitting the water behind it and lots of waves that morning. But it's really about how much happiness her garden and the wildlife and the water gave her. It's the way I will remember her.

I've been thinking about what to say. We never met in person. I enjoyed and admired her tolerance- no, I mean welcoming- all creatures great and small into her gardens and life. When I think of Claire I think of "Violet the Bunny". I think she channeled Beatrix Potter; who else could tolerate groundhogs so graciously? I enjoyed her night camera shots too. In many of her photos there was a glimpse of sparkling water in the right hand corner. I was curious about her water view. And for years she passed along the Mass Extension Service letters. As sad as her passing is, I am so appreciative that there is closure. Thank you Corunum for telling us what happened. So often people just drop off the forums and we have no idea why they left. It is part of the 'shared life' on the internet, but disconcerting. I am glad to remember her for what she shared in texts, photos and spirit.

I just learned of Clair's passing this afternoon and it makes me sad. Most of our interaction was here on the forum but I did meet her in person at one of our plant swaps several years ago. I think there are still some pictures of that swap somewhere here on the forum. She was both kind and eloquent. We would email back and forth when she was still living in NYC and commuting to her home in Plymouth on weekends. I think one of the best days of her life was the first Sunday after she retired from her job in NYC. That Sunday after that final commute from NYC to Plymouth, she did not have to leave...she was home. I so enjoyed hearing about the renovations to her house and how she dug and relocated her plants for safekeeping while construction was going on. She was active and she knew how to enjoy her free time. She was a biker, a gardener, and a camera enthusiast. She was always so supportive of my We Have Spring Peepers post in late February or early March. claireplymouth z6b coastal MA was one of a kind and it makes me sad to know that she is no longer sitting out on her deck, enjoying the beauty of her garden, and looking out over Cape Cod Bay, camera in hand. Thank you for posting this message, corunum z6 CT. I appreciate knowing.

Thanks for posting. I miss Claire on the forums. She was so consistently present and so responsive to anyone who posted. It is very sad. I wonder what has happened to the property and her garden. I suppose it might be better not knowing and just remember what it was like when she was there taking care of it and enjoying the birds and the animals.

Every so often I'll be reading an old thread and see where she posted and it makes me sad all over again, to remember she's not here anymore. It's amazing when someone you've never met can touch your life like that.

:)

Dee

I know, Dee. she has been on my mind since I first read the news yesterday. She was a fountain of knowledge and interest. So often I would come into the forum just to read the latest information from the UMass extension service. She always posted that info and in thinking back, I am surprised to remember how often I came in to check it out. It was always my impression that Claire took care of things. She was dependable and reliable. She has left a void that will never be filled.

mcsooey and everyone, I found the picture of the Massachusetts plant swap (2009?) on an old external HD I have. Claire is in the middle of the back row, brown shirt, plant in hand wearing a wide smile.😇 Claire was in NYC on 9-1-1 and believed her throat cancer was a result of breathing in toxic particulates. This info was told to me by Claire's health care proxy who was with Claire when she passed in Boston.

Claire and I share the belief that we do not die. She told me of her feeling about the afterlife, "Different dimension, different set of rules". From my own experience of having my mother, mother-in-law, and my spouse die in my arms, I know Clair was right. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, I'm just sharing with those of you who cared about Claire what she and I had discussed and what she believed on Earth: that ..."we are never alone". I'm quite sure she's okay now and happy in a perfect, organic meadow where there is an endless supply of phlox for gophers.

Kindly,

Jane

P.S. One morning I received this link in an email from Claire. I think she'd like us to remember her with joy.Happy Mouse

I was Claire's friend and family by marriage. And her health care proxy. As Jane mentioned I was with her at the time of her death. She was so very ill. I had done all I could to ensure that she could return home (that she loved so much) if possible. When it became clear that wasn't going to happen it broke my heart.

I like to think mcsooey that she is sitting on her deck and looking out over the ocean; just on another plane of existence.

Jane, you found it! Yep, that's us. That was a fun day and it was so nice to meet Claire and everyone else. We spent some time talking about what we brought and how to care for it. I have one of her double-ditch day lilys. I think the person in the pic standing to Clairs right is the woman from Falmouth who may have gone by *digsdirt*? I have one of her oak leaf hydrangeas that has never bloomed but I always hold out hope. Can anyone identify any others? I am standing, at the far right, As I remember, that was in Plymouth and not far from Clairs. I drove down Clairs' road as I was heading back to the Bridge. That was in 2009? Such a nice memory, thank you, Jane. We were all so much younger then. Thank you for finding it.

Sooey

Thank you, Jane, for posting this, and thanks to everyone here for posting their memories and thoughts. Such a fitting tribute to Claire!

:)

Dee

The falmouth prrson is ”diggingthedirt” or Nan. we still correspond occasionally.

Thank you, Marie. Is digging still around on the forum? I think of her every time I look at the oak leaf hydrangea.

Claire was such a special person and I felt like she was the glue on this forum. Keeping us up to date with peepers, hummingbird migration, UMass message, etc.

She took so much time to share her wonderful garden and wildlife with us. We were lucky she was such an amazing photographer and so willing to share. She was a beautiful person.

I was at that swap (blonde in front) and I remember being so excited that Claire was there! I could meet her IN PERSON. It was a real treat for me. She was so friendly and open and we had a good time talking about her garden and various shrubs. She touched so many of us, and it’s so sad she is gone. I am glad though, through all her posts she will be a part of this forum forever. She will never be forgotten.

Aha! I thought that was you, Thyme. I just didn't want to point it out without your permission. lol So amazing to have photos to look back on. I never made it to any of the CT swaps or the Plymouth swaps, so I never did meet Claire in person, which I'm sorry that I didn't. Sounds like you had a great time. I recognize the person on the far left who used to be active here, but I don't remember her name. She moved South and stopped coming to the NE forum. She used to post to the Winter Sowing forum too. She was at a swap in Lexington that I attended once a long time ago.

I had a small connection to Jane in that my husband grew up spending summers in Plymouth on the cliffs which had to be right in the same neighborhood that Claire was in. Same view. So I enjoyed every time she posted photos of her garden and the view of the Harbor through the trees.

Thyme, you're right, so many old posts pop up from time to time and Claire's posts are still there. And of course, all the photos of her garden are on the Show Us Your Landscape thread. The forum is less active without her already.

HU-365989688 - So sorry for your loss. I'm sure that Claire was very grateful to have you in her life and that you were there with her at such a difficult time. We should all be so blessed. Really appreciate you posting here, to let us know what happened to Claire.

All of these posts in remembrance of Claire are so nice to read, they put a smile on my face. Thyme, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that it felt like Claire was the glue that kept this forum together. When I came in here 5 days ago, and before I learned of her passing, I noticed a difference in the forum. Not a lot of activity and not a lot of recent posts. The first person I searched for was Claire. I looked for her posts and when I saw that her last entry was several months old, I knew something was wrong. Now I am sorry that I had not kept up with her. The void is real. So, thanks again Jane, corunumz6CT. You shared some sad news but it was news that we all needed to hear. Today, let's all go outside, walk through our gardens and remember Claire. She will always be a part of this forum.

Sooey

Thanks for keeping Claire in remembrance. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her. It doesn't seem like 4 months since her death in the hospital in Boston. It was so sad and tragic the way she died and yet I am so glad I was with her in those final hours.

I just came across this today and I’m so saddened to read about Claire’s passing. Thank you Jane for letting us know.

I only knew Claire through this forum and was always impressed by her warmth, decency and passion for photography and gardening. She was particularly good at reaching out and helping newcomers feel welcome. She was a lovely energetic contributor and I took it for granted that she would always be with us. I will miss her warm, informed contributions and superb photography. My deepest condolences to her family and friends. My heartfelt sympathy to Jane.

To HU-365989688 – I am so sorry for your loss. It gives me comfort to know that you were her good friend and with her throughout her final days. Warm and grateful hugs to you.

Godspeed, Claire.

I don't post much any more but check this forum periodically and just saw this thread as well. I am very sorry to hear that Claire has passed. She was such a kind and gentle soul who had a passion for Nature and was very generous to help out with the forum and share her knowledge and photos. I got started years ago with bird counts like Project Feeder Watch and Great Backyard Bird Count partly thanks to her. I've enjoyed her posts for many years and will miss her. My condolences to her loved ones.

Hello Terrene,

How good to see your name here. Did you have bluebirds this year?

I have thought about you over the years.

Hope you are well. Marie

Hi Marie, things are going ok. Hope you are doing well. This year appeared to be a banner year for fledgling birds, including bluebirds. Never had so many young ones coming to the feeders and birdbaths. Must have been abundant food sources for the birds this past breeding season, maybe all the rain helped. I expect there will be good numbers reported in the bird counts this winter.