Claire Marie Routhier Verrette

FALMOUTH - Claire Marie Routhier Verrette, age 65, of Stratford, CT, died unexpectedly in her home on Tuesday, August 16, 2011. She was born February 10, 1946 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to the late Joseph L. Routhier and Fernande LeClerc Routhier. Claire was a member of the class of 1964 from Notre Dame High School in Bridgeport, CT. She then went to Nashua, NH looking for work. There, she met David Verrette while he interviewed her for a banking job. Claire didn't get the job; instead, she and David began a romance and were married in 1965. They lived in Nashua, then Rye, NH before moving to Sanford, Maine and finally settling down in Falmouth, Maine. Along the way, their Daughter Julie was born in 1966; their Son Joseph in 1969. Claire worked in various office settings throughout her early career years before finding her true calling as a Certified Nurse's Aide at Brentwood Nursing Home in Yarmouth, ME. Her gentle, care-giving nature made her many years at Brentwood very fulfilling for Claire and the people she worked with and cared for. She even had the opportunity to work with her daughter Julie and the two often would speak warmly of the residents as if they were family members. Claire loved spending time with her Grandchildren, laughing and playing with them for hours. She was a cat-lover and had many cats throughout her life, although her two favorites were Moe and Ziggy. Claire leaves to cherish her memory, her beloved children; Julie Lynne Anderson of Portland, ME and Joseph Paul Verrette of Chester, NH; her four Grandchildren: Elizabeth and William Anderson and Sophia and Samantha Verrette. She is also survived by two sisters; Bernadette Marvin of Derby, CT and Helen Morales of Willimantic, CT. and two brothers; Raymond Routhier of Derby, CT and Robert Routhier of Stratford, CT; and numerous nieces and nephews. A devout Christian, she is joyously reunited with her husband of 29 years, David who predeceased her in 1994. Friends and family may pay their respects to Claire on Saturday, August 20th from 11am - 12:00 noon at Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland. Prayers will be recited at 12:15 followed by a 1pm Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Martyrs Parish, 266 Foreside Road, Falmouth, Maine. Claire will be placed to rest next to her husband David at Blanchard Cemetery off of Winn Road in Falmouth, Maine following the Mass. Friends and family are invited to celebrate the many joys of Claire's life at Bruno's Restaurant and Tavern, located at 33 Allen Avenue, in Portland, Maine between the hours of 3pm and 6pm that evening. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Claire's memory to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Online Condolences for Claire Verrette