Mildred L. (Lawson) Clare, age 101, passed away on June 5, two months shy of her 102nd birthday. She was the beloved wife of the late Frank J. Clare, Jr., with whom she shared almost 65 years of marriage.
She was the daughter of the late Olga and Erland Lawson, both of whom originally immigrated from Sweden. Mildred, affectionately known as “Millie”, was born in Dorchester, MA, but moved to Winchester with her parents at the age of nine months.
She went through the Winchester Public Schools and graduated from Winchester High School in 1936. She always enjoyed working, and especially being the oldest in her family, she wanted to contribute to the family finances. Beginning at the age of thirteen, Millie had many jobs, including working at Women’s Hospital on Parker Hill Avenue in Boston, Winslow Press in Winchester during High School, and John Hancock from 1937-1946 in the Accounting Department.
Following his service in the U.S. Navy, Millie met and married Frank in 1946. Due to company policy, once married, she could no longer work at John Hancock. Frank and Millie moved to Springfield, VT, where Frank found work after WWII. In 1948, they moved back and began building their house in Winchester, where they continued to reside throughout their lives. Millie stayed home to raise their son and daughter, providing a strong family background of love and support for her children and her siblings, who lived nearby.
In 1965, Millie went to work at Mahoney’s Rocky Ledge Farm and Nursery and soon became the Office Manager. She worked closely with the late Paul Mahoney, who she greatly respected and admired. Throughout the years she worked at Mahoney’s, she taught many aspiring co-workers valuable, ethical business skills, and she always encouraged them to advance their education. She took many trips with her Mahoney’s work family, accompanied by her own family and friends. Those were wonderful memories for her!
Millie loved family. She and Frank had built a summer home on Lake Horace in Weare, NH, which was a labor of love and a source of joy for family gatherings. Millie was still enjoying the lake house during the summer of 2019, at the age of 101, while taking cruises around the lake on the family’s pontoon boat!
Family was so important to her. Along with being devoted to her husband Frank, she was a loving mother to her children: Linda Guerrette and her husband Paul of Danvers, Frank Clare and his wife Pamela of Bedford. She was loved and adored by her grandchildren Graig and wife Nichole Guerrette of Danvers, Erik and wife Amanda Guerrette of Danvers, Victoria and husband Max St. Hilaire of Pepperell, and Valerie and husband Jonathan Graham of Chelmsford. She was loved and affectionately known as G.G. (Great Gram) by Griffin Guerrette, Quinn Guerrette, Austen Guerrette and Keziah St. Hilaire. Millie was the loving sister of Ruth Heptig of Canton, Roy Lawson and his wife Sandra of Arlington, and sister-in-law Sonja Lawson of Winchester, and sister of the late Esther Lawson, Edith Oleson, Doris Wade, Violet McLeman and Robert Lawson. She is survived by many loving nieces and nephews, as well as a dear cousin, June Gillette of Plymouth.
Millie was the consummate shopper, especially in Filene’s Basement, and she always knew the styles of the times. She loved fashion!
Millie will always be remembered as hard-working, devoted to her family, generous, intelligent, encouraging, humble, always fair, having a great mathematical mind, and an amazing memory! She will be missed by many.
The family would like to extend special appreciation to her Primary Care Physican, Dr. Joshua Sheehan from Winchester Primary Care Associates and the staff and nurses at Care Dimensions for the care and comfort they have provided for Millie.
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend a Graveside Service at Wildwood Cemetery, 34 Palmer St., Winchester, on Friday, June 12 @ 11AM, with respectful adherence to social-distancing and mask-wearing procedures. In lieu of flowers, donations in Millie's name may be made to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923.