Claire Tuchalski

She was born on August 19, 1933 to the late Chester and Mary (Hyjek) Tuchalski. She is survived by her beloved sister Joan Ostrowski and the extended Ostrowski family, her loving nephew Ralph (Donna) Kowalik, her great niece and Goddaughter Kathryn Kowalik, her cousin and Godson Martin (Charlotte) Kennedy and numerous other cousins, relatives, neighbors and friends.

Claire was an outstanding nurse, college professor and author in the field of public and community health. She obtained her RN diploma at St. Francis Hospital in Jersey City, NJ in 1954 and then continued her nursing and public health education earning a BA from Seton Hall University in 1958 and a MA from New York University in 1962. She taught at Boston University, Rutgers University and Bloomfield College and held a variety of positions with other public and community health organizations. In 1975 she co-authored the book Community Health Nursing.

Claire enjoyed viewing herself as eccentric and doing things her way. She had a unique set of hobbies, expressions and preferences. For example, she always looked forward to doing the NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle while eating her bagel with cream cheese. She also enjoyed listening to opera, going to the theater and watching Star Trek episodes and movies, especially with the original cast. Other notable pleasures included having hot tea at the appropriate “tea time” in the afternoon and a sipping quality “bubbly” (champagne) on New Year’s Eve while listening to Die Fledermaus. She liked many British pronunciations such as “shedual” for schedule and often expressed concepts in very particular terms such as having an “accomplishments list” rather than a “to do list.” Her favorite colors were black and white, and she used them prominently in her clothing and interior decorating. Although Claire did not like the inconveniences of traveling, she did meet her bucket list goal of visiting all 7 continents including Antarctica and brought back many adventurous tales from those trips.

Claire had a very kind, compassionate and loving heart. She loved family and was always there to help in time of need and regularly gave generous and thoughtful gifts. She loved children so much that she could never work as a pediatric nurse because it pained her too much to see children suffer. She was also extremely fond of animals whether they be pets, homeless or just interesting, and she thoroughly enjoyed being with them. She had a great respect for Mother Nature and the Cosmos and often marveled at their beauty.

We all miss Claire and pray that her final journey brought her to a new life filled with love and beauty in Heaven.

A Memorial Mass will be held for her on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 10:30 am at St. Maximilian Kolbe Roman Catholic Church, 130 St. Maximilian Lane, Toms River, NJ 08757. Arrangements are being coordinated by the Quinn Hopping Funeral Home. For more information please see www.quinn-hoppingfh.com or call 732-240-3800.