Claire Marie Unnasch

UNNASCH, Claire Marie, age 86, of Tampa, FL, passed away Saturday, January 30, 2016. She was born August 8, 1929 in Paterson, NJ to Bertram and Martha (Vanden Berghe) Paxton. The family moved to Bloomfield, NJ, where Claire attended Bloomfield High School. She then attended Douglas College, Rutgers University, graduating in 1950. She married Raymond Albert Unnasch and they moved to Cedar Grove, NJ, a town where the Paxton family was deeply rooted, having farmed in the area since the 18th century. Claire started her career as a teacher after college, taking a sabbatical to raise her sons to school age. She returned to her career, teaching special education while she obtained a masters degree in education from Seton Hall University. She then taught 7th and 8th grade math at South End School in Cedar Grove until her retirement in 1985. Claire was preceded in death by her husband, in 1993. Following the death of her dear friend and companion, James Duggan in 2008, she moved to the Tampa area to be close to her family. She became a valued member of the Easton Park Community, known to all as “Grandma Claire”. Survivors include her sons, Thomas and his wife, Naomi “Beth” of Tampa, FL and Robert and his wife, Cynthia of Boise, ID; brothers, Donald Paxton of Monroe, NJ and Robert Paxton and his wife, Nancy of Greensboro, NC; and four grandchildren, Emily, Matthew, Colin and Christian. The family will receive friends, 4-8 p.m., Wednesday, February 3rd at Blount & Curry, Terrace Oaks Chapel 12690 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace. A Funeral Service will be held, 10:00 AM, Thursday, February 4th at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 9724 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Claire’s memory to The Idaho chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Words of comfort may be expressed at www.blountcurryterraceoaks.com