Claire A. Sands, R.N.
...retired from Lowell General Hospital, formerly of Tewksbury; 72
DRACUT - Claire A. (Butler) Sands, R.N., age 72, a Registered Nurse at Lowell General
Hospital for her entire career, died unexpectedly Tuesday evening, Oct. 3, in Tewksbury. She
was the loving wife of Earl Patrick “ Pat” Sands, who died on March 19th of this year.
Born in Holyoke, on June 18, 1934, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Cora (Valiquet)
Butler, lived the greater part of her life in Tewksbury, and resided in Dracut for the last nine
years.
She graduated from Lowell General Hospital’s School of Nursing in 1955, and retired from
L.G.H. over forty years later, in 1998.
Mrs. Sands, along with her late husband were active in community affairs through the Tewksbury
Lions Club, the former Tewksbury Veteran’s Association, and numerous youth sports leagues in
Tewksbury. She was a former member of St. William’s Church in Tewksbury, and a current
parishioner of St. Therese’s Parish in Dracut. She was described by her family as having devoted
her entire life to her family, especially her grandchildren.
She is survived by a daughter, Maura Tucker of Walkersville, MD; three sons and daughters-in-
law, Patrick Sands and his wife Linda (Lucas) of Tyngsboro, Jeffrey Sands and his wife Nancy
(Wythe) of Tewksbury, and Christopher Sands and his wife Theresa (Kozlowski) of Derry, NH;
eight grandchildren, Elizabeth, Stephanie, and Nicholas Tucker, Kaleigh, and Patrick J. Sands,
Kara and Erin Sands, and Noah Sands; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Joan Butler of Lowell,
and Alice Rager and her husband Larry of Tyngsboro; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Edward
Butler and his wife Mary Sue of Ohio, and Daniel Butler of Lowell; two sisters-in-law and a
brother-in-law, Katherine “Mandy” Quinn and her husband James of Tewksbury, and Joan Sands
of Derry, NH; and many nieces and nephews.
She was also expecting the birth of her ninth grandchild in December.
Her
Funeral Mass was celebrated Tuesday, Oct. 10, in St. William’s Church, Tewksbury, followed by burial in Tewksbury Cemetery. Memorials to R.A.R.A., 295 High St., Lowell, MA
01852, will be appreciated.