Clara Marie Collamore

Clara Marie Baum Collamore passed away on October 27, 2019 at the age of 92 after short battle with cancer. Born in Los Angeles, CA on August 8, 1927, she was the daughter of Henry Frederick Baum and Anna Erickson, both of Leavenworth, KS.

Clara showed a deep love of learning from an early age, also displaying talent in piano performance as child. After graduating at the top of her high school class in Downey, CA (a suburb of Los Angeles), she won a scholarship to attend the University of Redlands, transferring after two years to Stanford University, where she earned a B.A. (1949) and M.A. (1953) in philosophy. Returning to Los Angeles, she worked briefly as a secretary and elementary school teacher prior to her marriage to Frank Collamore in February, 1958. They built their dream home on a hillside of Duarte, CA (now Bradbury), remaining close to her family, who were a consistent source of help and cheerfulness during these early years.

She left Los Angeles in 1971 when her husband was transferred to Sacramento. While in Sacramento, she worked tirelessly to raise her three children, often providing after-school lessons on literature, music, and mathematics (she had originally intended to study mathematics at Redlands, but tired of being the only girl in the class). In the late 1970s, when her children were older, she returned to college at CSU Sacramento and completed the requirements for degrees in mathematics and in music, where she specialized in piano performance. She earned her B.A. in 1982 and subsequently taught piano for several years. She continued to play the piano for the rest of her life, and her 7’ Yamaha grand piano was a source of great pride and joy. She could frequently be found at Sacramento and San Francisco Symphony concerts, meanwhile cultivating interests in classical Greece and Rome, as well as literature, history, art, and architecture more generally. In 1978, after her husband won a ”free ticket to anywhere” when flying for business, she was able to fulfill a dream of travelling to Italy and England. Later, when her son moved to Europe, she and her husband travelled more extensively throughout Europe.

She will be remembered by her family for her great devotion and kindness, as well as her elegance, keen aesthetical eye, and innate perfectionism. She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Frank Collamore, who passed away in March, 2018. Three children survive her: Linda Milor of Atlanta, GA, Lila Collamore of Arvada, CO, and Jeffrey Collamore of Copenhagen, Denmark; and a granddaughter, Ceylan Milor of Atlanta, GA. She is buried alongside her husband at Mount Vernon Memorial Park, 8201 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks, California.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MountVernonMemorial.com for the Collamore family.