RoseMary "Honey" Clair

Beloved mother of 16, Honey is survived by Maura and Michael Testa, Pat and Virginia Clair, Tim and Kathryn Clair, Kevin and Kathy Clair, Sheila and Marty Flemming, Brian and Kate Clair, Dan and Patty Clair, Kate and Bill Donner, Brigid and Wayne Obetz, Eileen Seeburger (widow of Gary Seeburger), Dennis and Karen Clair, Terry and Patricia Clair, Kieran Clair, Sr. Colleen Clair, FMA, Megan and JT Hunt, and Joe and Katie Clair. Honey was the loving grandmother of 65, great-grandmother of 68, and was anticipating the births of three more. Honey is also survived by scores of nieces and nephews. She died peacefully, surrounded by family.

Daughter of John F. and Rose V. Seifert, RoseMary grew up in Dumont, NJ. A graduate who majored in Mathematics at the College of New Rochelle, she met Joe through a blind date, while a fourth grade teacher at her own grammar school in Dumont. Joe was the one who christened RoseMary "Honey", and the moniker took hold. After getting married in 1953, Joe was in the Coast Guard, and the family lived in Norfolk, VA. From there, they moved to Palisades, NY, where they were active members of St. Anthony Parish and School in Northvale, NJ. With a growing family, the couple planned and built a larger home in Northvale. This house was soon too small and the family moved to Suffern, NY. Honey and Joe felt they had finally come home to “their” parish in Suffern. (Sacred Heart in Suffern bears the same name as the church in which they were married.) Because of the size of their family, the couple were written up in the NY Times and other newspapers. Believing faith to be central to the formation of moral character, the couple sacrificed so their children could attend 12 years of Catholic schooling.

Honey managed her growing household capably over the years and later worked as a successful real estate broker for nearly five decades. As children left for college the couple downsized their home. Honey and Joe created the legacy of the annual Clair family vacation, where a crowd in excess of 120 “Clairs” vacation and play together for a week. Honey looks forward to a loving reunion with Joe in Heaven, while all her family will miss the light of her presence here on earth.

A visitation for Honey will be held Friday, January 6, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Wanamaker & Carlough Funeral Home, 177 Route 59, Suffern, New York 10901. A Mass of Christian Burial will occur Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Sacred Heart Church, 129 Lafayette Ave, Suffern, New York 10901. Burial will follow at Frederick Loescher Veterans Cemetery in New Hempstead, NY.

In lieu of flowers, a donation made be made to the Clair/Militello Scholarship Fund- https://www.maryhelp.org/apps/form/form.MARYHELP.tqAXkdd.1xr (Mary Help of Christians Academy 659 Belmont Ave North Haledon NJ 07508)

To simplify planning, the family requests that you RSVP for a luncheon following the Mass of Christian Burial. Please copy and paste the link below to RSVP https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUA7MoP4QQCvEGCyBR4RvQg20RCXOcaarvUfOXp0uk0zfY-Q/viewform