Claire Pauline (Roy) Blanchard, 92, passed away peacefully on the morning of April 11, 2024. She was the loving wife of the late Robert (Bob) F. Blanchard, and the seventh of nine children of the late Charles and Grace (Stebbins) Roy. She was born in Springfield, MA on October 18, 1931. She is survived by her fraternal twin sister Margie (Roy) Leger and her youngest sister Louise (Roy) Sedelow; her three children: Terry, Ralph and his wife, Carol (Calabrese) and Susan and her husband, Roger Fielding; her five cherished grandchildren: Ashley (Blanchard) and her husband Kevin Wood, Michael Blanchard and his wife Laura (Harvey), Chelsea (Blanchard) and her husband, Brandon Upton, Paige Fielding and her fiancé, Zachary D’Agostino and Grace Fielding; and four great-grandsons: Michael, Ryan and Ethan Wood and Owen Blanchard. She also had 29 nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Commerce High School, she worked at Mass Mutual Insurance in Springfield. She met her husband, Bob, while he was home on a military leave. In 1955 they were married in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was stationed. In 1966, her husband retired from the U.S. Army and the family settled in West Springfield a year later.
Claire was a generous, fun-loving, and kind wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, and loyal friend. She was happiest when surrounded by her family and friends. She was an avid reader of mystery novels, nutrition, and wellness. She described herself as “inquisitive” and enjoyed traveling to many US states and Canadian cities, kept on top of politics, found contentment walking on the beach, and relished chatting on the phone with her extended family and many dear friends. She had an easy sweet smile and was the heart and soul of her family.
She will be deeply missed and will always be in our hearts. Burial will be with her husband at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, MA in a private ceremony.
Memorial gifts may be made to: Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, MA, a 501(c)(3) community-supported animal welfare organization that helped Claire with the family’s cats throughout the years.