Claire Lee Del Vecchio Johnston

Claire Lee Del Vecchio Johnston, 91, passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 28th after battling dementia for more than 4 years. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Bartholomew House in Bethesda. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1931, Claire was the youngest of four daughters born to Samuel and Iris Kernodle Del Vecchio. The Del Vecchios owned Peoples Hardware, Inc., a successful chain of more than 20 stores founded by Samuel’s father, Domenico, in 1914 and which flourished throughout the metropolitan area until 1979 when it was sold. Claire attended Holton-Arms, Roosevelt High School, and George Washington University where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

In the 1950s Claire worked as a volunteer for the Red Cross. In the 1960s and 1970s she became very active in the Democratic party and was the public relations representative for the Women’s Suburban Democratic Club as well as the Montgomery County Democratic Committee. Following in her father’s entrepreneurial footsteps, she co-founded Temp-Placements, Inc., a very successful employment agency in NW DC which she owned and operated from 1979 until her retirement in 1994. In the 2000s, she enjoyed volunteering at Sibley Hospital.

Claire had myriad passions: gardening, reading, Louis Jordan records, African violets, orchids, watercolor painting, cooking, as well as collecting fossil shark teeth and Native American artifacts on the Chesapeake Bay. Her deep affection for cats was passed along to her children. Although she didn’t like to swim, she loved being around water, be it at the neighborhood swimming pool, or at her vacation homes in Cove Point, MD and Lake Bethany, DE.

Her marriage to George W. Neumann ended in divorce. She was preceded in death by her second husband, Francis R. Johnston (1969), by a stepson, Steven F. Johnston (1966), and by her sisters Jane Reichert (2004), Iris Cotter (2008), and Marie Valenza (2010). Claire is survived by her four children: Lisa Howorth (Richard), Rick Neumann, Samuel Johnston, and Michael Johnston; six grandchildren: Claire Howorth, Beckett Howorth, Bebe Howorth, Brian Neumann, Bryce Johnston, and Alexandra Johnston; and two great-grandchildren: Mary Hartwell Nizza and Beckett Nizza.

Claire will be fondly remembered for her compassion, generosity, class, style, outgoing personality, sweet tooth, great sense of humor, as well as her love and devotion to family, friends and cats.

A celebration of her life will be held on September 30th at Bannockburn Community Club, 6314 Bannockburn Dr., Bethesda, from 11:00-1:00.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Friends of Montgomery County Animals, or to this gofundme page (https://gofund.me/f1732121) to help spay and neuter cats and dogs abroad.