Claire Ramus Obituary

Quaker Hill - Claire Janet Ramus died peacefully at Pendleton Nursing Home Nov. 21, 2023, surrounded by all the people who loved her most. Claire was born Aug. 10, 1936, in Somersworth, N.H., to Florida (LePage) Fournier and Joseph Fournier. She grew up in Somersworth and always told us stories of her happy childhood.

Soon after graduating from Somersworth High School, she met and married Billy Ramus and moved to New London, in 1958, to make a home. They moved to Quaker Hill in 1968, and lived there for most of their lives. Claire worked as a secretary at different times during her life, eventually retiring from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital where she worked as an administrative assistant to the paramedics.

Claire is survived by her three daughters, Karen Stone (Ben), Cheryl Cobb (Jay) and Janet Ramus. She is also survived by three granddaughters, Alexandria Stone DePasquale (Dan), Megan Kane and Kate Stone; and one great-granddaughter Josephine DePasquale. Claire is survived by one brother Roger Fournier of Arizona. She was predeceased by four brothers, one sister, and her mother and father.

Claire was a voracious reader; she looked forward to the newspaper every morning and read it cover to cover, while also completing the daily crossword and jumble. Claire was a creator: she loved to bake, sew and knit; and she taught us to love these crafts as well. In her teens, Claire painted oil paintings and loved any sort of art, drawing, or painting. Her paintings were exquisite and are prominently displayed in our homes. Claire and Billy were women's basketball fans and had season tickets to the Connecticut Sun games. She always loved to watch basketball and golf on TV. Her most recent favorite was to go out for a ride in the car and stop for ice cream. Most who remember her will say that Claire was the kindest person and had a huge infectious smile. We will miss her unconditional love for all of us, her wise counsel, sense of humor, carefully chosen birthday cards, and her consistent sense of seeing the positive in everything in life. Her greatest accomplishment in life was raising her three daughters and three granddaughters. We can only hope to live up to the loving, kind example she has set for us and carry on her legacy. We will always carry her in our heart. She was our hero.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday Dec. 1, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 63 Old Norwich Road, Quaker Hill. Interment will follow in St. Mary Cemetery, New London. The family will receive relatives and friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 12 Ocean Avenue, New London. Kindly omit flowers. Donations in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 200 Executive Blvd. S #4B, Southington, CT 06489 or Center for Hospice Care, 22 Dunham Street, Norwich, CT 06360. Please visit www.neilanfuneralhome.com to leave the family an online condolence.