GILFORD --- Claire R. Lewis, 88, of Old Lake Shore Road, passed away on Monday, September 12, 2022, at the Laconia Rehabilitation Center.
Claire was born on February 21, 1934, in Derry, NH, the daughter of the late Arthur Marquis and Alice (Lacasse) Marquis.
Claire worked in the school cafeteria in Derry when her children were young and for Shaw’s Supermarket in Derry for 26 years. But her favorite job was at Ellacoya State Park on Lake Winnipesaukee, where she worked for another 26 years until age 85. She and her husband, Les, started out as park hosts but over the years she worked in the office, the ticket booth, and also managed the store.
Claire loved the annual family campouts in September at Hermit Island in Maine, surrounded by grandkids and great-grandkids. She loved to play Scrabble and was very hard to beat. Claire wrote the Class of ’51 news for the Pinkerton Academy Alumnus magazine right up until the end of her very full life.
Claire is survived by her son Scott Lewis of Sutton, NH; two daughters, Mona Afshar and her husband Frederick of Clemson, SC, and Brenda Foote and her husband Robert of Ocala, FL, and daughter-in-law Rita Lewis of Bradenton, FL; eight grandchildren, Jessica Taylor, Jeffrey Lewis Jr., Sean Lewis, Jessica Caswell, Kristin Sammon, Jonathan Afshar, David Afshar, and Darrell Foote; two sisters, Lorraine Routhier of Derry, NH, and Joann Ross of Kingston, NH; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Claire was predeceased by her husband, Lester J. Lewis Jr., her brother Joseph Marquis, and her son Jeffrey Lewis.
A Graveside Service will be held on Monday, September 26, 2022, at 11:00am, at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH, 03303.
Donations can be made in Claire's name to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island NY 10306, or online at Tunnel to Towers .
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.