Cumberland - Claire Reid Runyon, 93, formerly of Parsonsfield and now of Cumberland Foreside, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, December 28, with her family present.
Claire was born in Boston, June 9, 1924, the only daughter and second child of William Duncan Reid, MD, and Blanche Adelaide McDonald Reid. Claire grew up in Newton, MA and attended Newton schools until her family moved to North Parsonsfield, ME. Claire then attended Gould Academy for her senior year where she met her husband to be, Elmer E. (Bud) Runyon. She was predeceased by her parents and her younger brother, James A Reid, MD, of Washington State.
Claire continued her education at Wellesley College, having finished three years, and on July11, 1945, she and Bud were married in the chapel of the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church in Plainfield, NJ, Bud's hometown. They immediately went to Sedalia, MO, where Bud was stationed at the Sedalia Army Air Force base as a squadron navigator. The war ended in Japan and Bud was released from service in December, 1945, and they returned to Plainfield. Claire became a homemaker and mother raising their two older children, Joanne (Joey) and Alexander (Sandy). In June of 1950 the family moved from Plainfield to North Parsonsfield.
Claire became a part of the life in the Kezar Falls area. As a member of the Riverside United Methodist Church, the ladies Guild, and as president of the LMR Club and the 21 Club she also raIsed their two younger children, William (Bill) of CA and Sarah Burgess of Sangerville. As the children grew up she served a term on the Parsonsfield school committee, prior to the formation of SAD 55. When the children went off to school, Claire wanted to keep busy and took a course in real estate law and for many years did real estate title abstracting in York and Cumberland counties to assist Bud, who had become a lawyer, in the real estate portion of his practice.
In addition to her civic activities, Claire enjoyed the 50 years at her cottage on Colcord Pond where the family, children, and grandchildren participated in swimming, water skiing, sailing, and especially her gardens, the raised flower bed by the garage an lilies around the bordering tree stumps. And not the least, her gardens at home: the sunken garden by the barn, the peonies and roses on one border and her iris in the circular beds in the back yard bordering her rhododendrons and scattered lilac bushes.
When not at Colcord Pond, Claire enjoyed playing tennis on her tennis court at home. When the winter season came and there was snow, Claire took part in downhill skiing in NH and Sunday River. When the children were out of school, she and Bud spent a number of years with friends and themselves winter skiing in the Saalbach and Zurs area of Austria until two knee repacements made changes in physical activities.
Claire is survived by her husband Bud, following seventy-two and one-half years of marriage, their four children, Joey of Yarmouth, Sandy and his wife Elaine, of New Gloucester, Bill and his companion Jess Graffell of CA and Sarah of Sangerville as well as granddaughter Jahnna Steindl, great grandson David Steindl, grandson Ben Runyon, his wife Betsey and great granddaughter Matilda Claire, grandson Capt. Nicholas Runyon stationed at Fairbanks, AK, grandsons Seth Burgess of Biddeford, Jeremy Burgess of Sangerville and SFC Christopher Burgess and his wife SSG Shannon stationed at Fort Sill, OK and her older brother Duncan Reid of Washington State, together with many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews on both sides of the family.
It is with sincere and heartfelt thanks from all family members to Hospice of Southern Maine for its involvement and the care it provided Claire during the last week she was with us.
Arrangements are being handled by Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home, Cornish, ME. The time and date for a service will be announced at a later date.