Claire Ham

Claire Van Schooneveld was born in Denver. She lost her mother, Virginia, on February 16, 1922 while the family was living in Ohio. Her father, Jerry, and the three children returned to Denver. The children were raised with the help of aunts until their father married Anne Wolma in 1932. Claire attended the Denver Christian School at Florida and Clarkson and graduated from South High School. She loved ice skating at Washington Park and Evergreen Lake.

She married Elmer Ham on December 22, 1939. When he entered the Army Air Corp in World War II, she and their first child, Joan, followed him to live outside the bases in Texas and Alabama where he was training. By the time he completed training the war was ending and they returned to Denver. They lived in apartments, owned by relatives, on South Pearl. They built a home at 1250 South Ogden Street with Elmer’s father being the general contractor and many Dutch subcontractors. They lived there from 1950 to 1964. They moved to 2035 South Cook Street in 1964. She raised four children, Joan, David, Jana and Greg.

Claire and Elmer were members of the Christian Reformed Church. All four off their children graduated from the Denver Christian Schools and from college. Elmer worked for over 40 years at Samsonite Corporation. He rose from the assembly line to a management position. Claire worked at Samsonite at the beginning of the marriage, was a homemaker, and a dutiful volunteer in the community and at church. In the 1960s she returned to work as a teacher at the Iliff Play School. Claire and Wanda DeNooy then started the Ridgeview Hills Preschool which they lovingly operated for over 30 years. When Claire and Wanda retired they donated the preschool to the Denver Christian Schools. She then devoted her time to her husband, children and grandchildren with love and hospitality.

A Celebration Service will be held at Third Christian Reformed Church at 2400 S. Ash Street, Denver, CO on Jan. 14 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Denver Christian Schools 1733 East Dad Clark Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126, Phone: 303-791-3243, www.denver-christian.org.

Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, Centennial, Colorado.