Claudia R. Reaves, formerly of Bowman Place in Bedford, died at the age of 94 on April 12, 2026 in the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH. With the loving kindness of the nurses, LNAs, staff and many volunteers as well as the attention and devotion of family members, Claudia passed gently and peacefully on a beautiful spring day.

Claudia leaves behind her two daughters, Susan Reaves Ferrari of Manchester, NH and Kathleen Reaves of Caribou, Maine, who miss her and are ever so grateful for the guidance and care she gave them. Claudia is missed by her three grandsons, Chris Messina of Oakland, California, Tim Messina of Bedford, and John Prince of Nashua. Also mourning the loss of Claudia are her son-in-law, Gerry Ferrari, her grand daughters-in-law Lauren Messina and Daria Prince, along with her eight great grand children. She has one surviving sister, Nancy Reed, of Manchester and is predeceased by four brothers and two sisters.

Born in Manchester, NH, Claudia graduated from Central High School in 1949. The following year she met and married Lee W. Reaves, a man who was devoted to her until his death in 2022. Together they travelled the world, living in Germany, Japan, and in many states in the U.S.

Claudia was a talented artist who recalled that her father, realizing that she loved to sketch, gave his six year old daughter her first set of drawing pencils. As an adult she painted in oils, acrylic and watercolor. She studied folk and decorative painting and soon there were few surfaces left, including walls, that did not bear her creative work. Eventually she owned her own business, The Enchanted Garden, where others could purchase her work and enjoy it in their own homes. Some of her work is still on display in the VA Hospital in Manchester where it is part of a mural created by the artist group she belonged to at the time.

As a person who loved history, Claudia also dedicated herself to genealogy. She put together large volumes of family history going back centuries. In this pursuit she traveled throughout the northeast and eastern Canada and made gravestone rubbings to bear witness to her own family’s rich heritage.

A celebration of life will be held at the Cremation Society of NH, 243 Hanover Street, in Manchester, on Monday, April 27, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Luncheon will follow at 12:30 at the Puritan Restaurant in Manchester.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Community Hospice House. Gifts can be mailed to 7 Executive Park Dr., Merrimack, NH. 03054 (Attn: Philanthropy) or online at www.hhhc.org.

To view Claudia’s online tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com. Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH, Manchester, NH.