Claire Therese Patin Walker

Born on March 5, 1926, she died Feb. 10, 2019.

She was the third of Fernand and Juanita Patin’s six children. She had three sisters, Baby Juanita, Pauline and Grace, and two brothers, Fernand Jr. (called Bub) and Roland.

Her name is taken from Latin, meaning bright or clear.

Claire lived the first two years of her life in Baton Rouge, La. Then the family moved permanently to another LA — Los Angeles.

Claire would spend the rest of her life in Southern California. Yes, she cheered for the Dodgers and the Lakers. And the Angels, too.

She grew up in the Watts area of Los Angeles, in a house on 99th Street. Many other family members settled in the same neighborhood, including both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins and third cousins and on.

Raised in the Catholic faith, Claire attended St. Lawrence of Brindisi School from 5th to 8th grades. After one year at Jordan High in Compton, she transferred to Catholic Girls High. She graduated in 1943 at the age of 17 and went right to work.

As a civil servant, Claire worked in the county’s Records and Communications Department. Her last job was as a dispatcher with the LA County Sheriff’s Department. She loved it.

A beautiful young woman, Claire had married a handsome boy from the neighborhood, Chauncey Walker, in 1949. The first of their six children arrived in 1950. That was Anthony. Three girls and two more boys would follow: Denise in 1952; Michele in 1953; Theresa in 1955; Nicholas in 1957; and Christopher in 1959.

She raised her children in Los Angeles and then in the South Bay. She went from homemaker to breadwinner when her marriage ended in 1970. She held various jobs over the next two decades, at a machine shop, in a bindery, for a printing company.

When she retired, Claire volunteered at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center in Downey. She loved to create beautiful floral bouquets for the patients.

Claire ended up moving to south Riverside County, settling into her own senior apartment at Halter Hillside Apartments in Sun City. She would live there from 1994 until 2017.

A highlight of her last years: the birthday bash to mark her 90th birthday in 2016.

She came to enjoy simple pleasures as her life wound down: frequent visits from her family nearby and special trips made by her sons and grandchildren from out of state. She relished chili dogs from Wienerschnitzel and peanut brittle from See’s. The younger generation delighted in taking selfies with her.

In addition to her six children, Claire nurtured 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her younger sister Pauline and younger brother Roland, along with numerous nieces and nephews — and a few remaining cousins.

Claire left this world knowing how much she was loved. Her family kept a bedside vigil and spoke to her over the phone. She was serenaded by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, two favorites.

But the last voice Claire heard before she took her last breath on a Sunday morning was that of her baby boy singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

Now she shines her light on us from a place of peace and comfort.

In lieu of flowers or memorial gifts, the family suggests donations to be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, at stjude.org.