Claire Maxwell (Cadarette) Tatulis
1922-2020
Claire Maxwell (Cadarette) Tatulis passed away peacefully on August 26, just shy of her 98th birthday at The Villa Crest in Manchester, NH. She was born at home on September 24, 1922 in Lawrence, MA. She always told us the day she was born it was lovely out and her mother took her outside on the porch to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
Looking back over her 97 years, she had a good life. Many of you have your own special memories of her. Her life was full of family and friends. She grew up on Tower Hill in Lawrence, the second child of Albert P. Cadarette and Theresa (Maxwell) Cadarette. She was a parishioner of St Augustine Church on Tower Hill and graduated from St. Mary’s High School, class of 1940.
Instead of marrying right away as was the norm for the 1940’s, mom worked at various jobs and attended Essex Aggie in Danvers, MA. She also went on numerous road trips throughout New England and into Canada with family. She loved the beach, stayed at Dude Ranches at Lake George with friends, and was a Candy Striper. Claire did not learn to drive until she married at age 30.
She met our father, Charles Paul Tatulis, at The Commodore Ballroom in Lowell, MA. and they were married at St. Augustine’s on August 24, 1952. They lived in various MA and NH towns before settling Andover, MA in 1964. Mom put dad through school and worked nights when he was home to watch the children. For her sacrifices, Tufts awarded her with a certificate at a ceremony held there in 1961. She was always one to do what needed to be done and she never complained.
Once Dad got settled into his dental practice, mom became a stay at home mom. She was always there for us and we liked that she was a baker, providing freshly baked treats when we got home from school. Our home was always open to our friends and was a neighborhood gathering place. The highlight of our holiday meals was Mom’s banana fritters. Our dad, being a fisherman, turned mom into a fisherwoman. Almost every Friday mom packed up the car and we went off camping at some lake or river. She spent her mid life years taking care of her husband, four children, a dog and cat. She grew strawberries, blueberries and had a lovely rock garden in front of her home in Andover and we are proud to have many of her plants in our own yards.
When our father passed in 2003, she stayed busy with her family, her St. Mary’s High School friends, and other friends she made over the years. In 2009 she sold her home and on her own moved to Manchester, NH to be closer to her family. At 88, she surprised the family by getting her NH drivers license. She wanted the chance to live on her own in her own way. At 93 she moved in with her daughter Elaine for two years and in 2017 moved to the Villa Crest.
Claire was predeceased by her husband Dr. Charles P. Tatulis with whom she shared 51 years of marriage. She is survived by her son’s Frederick of Boston, William and his wife Edith (DeBolt) Tatulis of Candia, daughters Elaine Tatulis-Caldwell and her partner, Michael Coyle of Auburn, and Paula Hurley and husband Timothy Hurley of Manchester. Six grandchildren, Dana, his wife Elizabeth of Epsom and their son Charlie, Claire’s great grandson, Rachel Tatulis of Houston, TX, Gretchen Tatulis of Newmarket, NH, Ken Caldwell and fiance Chelsea Audet, Jacob and Lucas Hurley, all of Manchester.
She is also survived by her 99 year old sister, Marie O’Brien of Lynn, MA, and her brother Jack Cadarette and his wife Jane of North Andover, MA. Her brother Albert "Bert" passed away in 1992. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
We want to thank the The Villa Crest for their loving care of our mom, especially during these Covid-19 times when the staff put themselves at risk taking care of her.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, https://www.apdaparkinson.org/.
Family and friends are invited to a Catholic mass to be celebrated at St. Robert’s Bellarmine Church, 198 Haggett's Pond Road, Andover on Monday, August 31, 2020, at 11:00 am, followed by her burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Tewksbury. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home of Andover. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.