Claire R DeVeau

It is with profound sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Claire Rita (Fournier) DeVeau, age 92, on March 30, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. She was a cherished mother of six, grandmother of eight, great-grandmother of seven, and a beloved sister, sister-in-law, and aunt.

Claire was born on September 4, 1932 in Malden, MA and raised in Everett, MA. She graduated from Everett High School in 1950, and after her marriage, remained in this city for more than twenty years while raising her children. She lived in Chatsworth, CA, for several years. She also lived in Sandwich, MA, where she was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and served as a chaperone in the Miss Cape Cod, and Miss Massachusetts pageants. She then settled in Danville, NH, where she had lived for the past twenty-one years.

Claire is preceded in death by her father Henry Alexander Fournier (January 8, 2000), mother Germaine (May 26, 2016), ex-husband Joseph Robert (March 13, 2014), sister-in-law Lorraine (October 20, 2017) and brother Eugene (May 5, 2024).

She is mother to Richard (wife Janet Spence) Batavia, IL, David (wife Aracely Mora) Westfield, MA, Paul (wife Jacqueline Schofield) Marstons Mills, MA, Gerard of Danville, NH, Robert (fiancé Jeremi Glasper) Dallas, TX, and Carla (husband Scott Hoffman) Belchertown, MA. Claire also leaves behind a sister to the late Eugene (wife Joan Yeo) Hampton Beach, NH, Richard (wife Lorraine Mackey) Everett, MA, and Donald (wife Sandra Lozier) Aubrey, TX.

While raising her young children, Claire worked at a number of jobs, mostly at night to free her days for her kids. She was also a Mary Kay Cosmetics Sales Director and became one of the nation’s top 10% performers, earning the use of their iconic Pink Cadillac. The job she retired from when she reached her early eighties was with the U.S. State Department at the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, NH.

In between enjoying the latest news from her children and grandchildren, Claire was an avid reader and enjoyed knitting for a period. Claire will be remembered for picking up her father’s skillful penchant for playing cribbage and inheriting his quick-witted quips and one-liner comebacks with a mischievous zing. She adored the singer Jonny Mathis, who could be heard crooning away on the stereo every Saturday afternoon as she worked around the house. She lit up like a floodlight when her son Paul brought her to see Mathis perform at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, and she reached out and touched him as he made his way to the stage. Claire never met a lobster that she didn’t love. Passionately.

A Memorial Service to celebrate her life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Meals on Wheels of Rockingham County in Claire DeVeau’s memory. Please go to: https://rockinghammealsonwheels.org/donate/

She will be missed. But we know she is now in God’s presence, and that Johnny Mathis is singing to her again.