Carmel Claudia Gualtieri, 83, of Port Hueneme, Ca passed away on May 15, 2019 in Ventura county. Claudia was born in Brooklyn New York to Thomas and Claudia Gualtieri on July 10, 1935. She went school in Brooklyn and Connecticut. She was married in Seremban, Malaya in 1959 and lived in Hong Kong, Singapore, Berlin, London, Hamilton (Ontario), Columbus (Ohio) and finally, Ventura County, which she loved most of all.
She had a full, adventurous life and many friends. She was always active and full of energy and good spirits. She was a swimmer and a walker.
She was ebullient and very social. She loved tennis, sailing and skiing, especially with her large extended family and many friends. She loved to cook and was famous for her lasagna, meatballs and pies.
She was lively and engaged until the last few months of her life, when she fell ill for the first time in her life. She quickly faded away, without pain or discomfort, and in the company of her many good friends in Port Hueneme. She remained, all her life, a Catholic Christian and was devoted to Our Lady of Fatima. She felt that Our Lady was calling her back but that she would always protect her adventurous grandsons.
Claudia is survived by her daughter Tina and sons Mark and Christopher Higginbottom; her grandchildren Justin, Joshua and Jessica Higginbottom; her sister, Ellen Kellner and her family, Leon, Liz and Allison; her brother, Thomas Gualtieri and his family, Frances, Deeder, John, Tony, Geni, Nora and Dia; her brother, Leo; and her cousins, who lived close by, Ed and Julia Amorosi; and her former husband, Harold Higginbottom, with whom she remained fast friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Claudia Gualtieri, her husband Robert Hughey and by her cousin and best friend, Jean Sucumele. She especially looked forward to seeing Jean again.
Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00am on Friday, May 31, 2019 in Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church, 463 West Pleasant Valley Road, Oxnard, CA.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite Cancer Charity in her name. Arrangements are under the direction of the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, 757 East Main Street, Ventura.