CHICOPEE – Claire R. (L’Esperance) Gladu, 89, a longtime resident of Holyoke Street in the Fairview section of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Monday, September 15, 2014. She passed into Eternal Life at the Willimansett East Nursing Home in Chicopee surrounded by all the memories she loved and cherished. She was born at home in South Hadley on May 31, 1925, a beloved daughter of the late Henry and Emma (Emery) L’Esperance. She was raised in South Hadley, graduated from South Hadley High School and lived in the town for many years before moving to Chicopee in 1957. She was last employed by the Holyoke Water and Power Company and had previously worked at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley. She was a member of the Fairview American Legion Auxiliary Unit 438 and a member of the South Hadley Class Reunion Committee. Active in her faith, she was a communicant of Saint Anne Church in Chicopee where she was a member of the Saint Anne Sodality Guild. She was predeceased by her beloved husband and best friend, Norman L. Gladu who was Called Home on September 11, 2009. They were married on May 29, 1948 at the former Saint Mary of the Assumption Church in Willimansett and were blessed with over 61 years of happiness together. She leaves her loving daughter, Karen R. Fontaine and her husband, David, of Wilbraham; her cherished grandchildren, Steven D. Fontaine and his wife, Patricia, of Monson, and Kimberly A. McCarthy and her husband, Philip, of Westfield; her cherished great-grandson, Rohan A. Fontaine; her dear sister, Ruth (L’Esperance) Gladu of South Hadley; her dear brother, Carl L’Esperance of Florida; and her many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, and extended members of the Gladu and L’Esperance families. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday morning, September 24, 2014 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Fairview Chapels, (413-533-3307), 506 Britton Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 8:30 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Saint Anne Church, 30 College Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. Her burial will follow the Mass at Saint Rose Cemetery, Rte. 202, South Hadley, MA 01075. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The parking lot is located in the rear of the funeral home. Her family has requested that memorial donations be made in her memory to the Shriners Hospital for Children, (specify Springfield), 516 Carew Street, Springfield, MA 01104. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com