Clare Chesledon, a kind, caring mother and grandmother with an appreciation for both the beautiful and the practical, passed away peacefully at her Vashon home on Nov. 20, 2011. She was 94. The matriarch of a large family, Clare said her goodbyes over the last weeks of her life. Sharp and lucid until the very end, she was not afraid to die, just a bit uncertain about what was coming, she said. She was confident in God and prayer and looking forward to reunion with her husband, Wayne, who died 25 years ago.
Clare lived a life of uncommon grace, deep faith and kindness toward others. Undemanding and self-possessed, she had no patience for nonsense or unnecessary drama. She valued her privacy, reading in her easy chair, clipping the bonsai on the deck or feeding the koi in the pond. Yet when unexpected visitors arrived, they received all her attention.
It was the simple things in life that brought Clare joy: raspberry jam on crunchy toast, a red cloud sunset over the Olympics, the varied activities of her grandchildren. Frugal, yet generous, Clare was a master recycler, an avid gardener and an accomplished cook. She liked a good story and a well-prepared meal. And she delighted in a sunbreak on an otherwise dreary day. Vashon suited her artistic temperament.
Clare was a mere slip of a woman, barely five feet tall and only 95 pounds. Yet she exerted a powerful force, binding family and friends to her through her kindness and love for them.
She was born Anita Clare Cunningham, the daughter of Irish immigrants, on March 7, 1917 in New York City. Her father ran a saloon in the Bronx. Her mother died young and Clare grew up in boarding schools. She graduated from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula and completed a nursing school program in Connecticut.
Working in a New York hospital, she met Dr. Wayne A. Chesledon, an intern, and they were married on Dec. 20, 1942 in Birmingham, Alabama. They lived in three states before settling in Seattle in 1953 where Wayne became a radiologist and the two of them raised seven children. After her husband’s death, Clare moved to Vashon in 1995. On Vashon, she was a member of St. John Vianney Church and a regular at the 5 pm Saturday Mass.
She is survived by six of her children: Bryan (Mary Lou), of Seattle; Sharleen, of Seattle; Karen McCoy (John), of Vashon; David (Erin) of Clinton; Joe, of Chimacum; and Peter, of Vashon. Her oldest daughter, Leone, also of Vashon, died last year. Clare had 11 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
A memorial Mass celebrating Clare’s life will be held at 10 am Friday, Dec. 16, at St. John Vianney Church, 16100 115th Ave. SW, Vashon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Vashon-Maury Island
Food Bank. Please visit the online guest book at www.islandfuneral.com.
Paid Obituary.
